Airways workers to protest non-payment of pension after liquidation

Thousands of workers of the liquidated Nigeria Airways by the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 13 years ago will soon take to the streets within and around the airport to protest continued hardship meted on them since the airline was liquidated.

Daily Times investigation revealed that the ex-workers who normally hold their weekly payer meetings somewhere within the airport have concluded plans to barricade all roads adjoining both the local and international airports to protest the inability of the government to pay them their money almost 15 years after liquidation.

According to the aggrieved workers, they have waited patiently for almost 15 years for the government to pay them their money but with no words from the government except rumours on the compilation of names and other documents.

At a recent meeting attended by this Correspondent, the coordinator of the prayer group, Engr Ayuba Kyari disclosed that thousands of former workers of the airline have died while awaiting their money. “If am not mistaken, over one thousand workers have so far died as a result of the lack of money to treat themselves. They die on daily basis, one just died yesterday and I got the news while we are gathered here”.

“Our prayer is that they should pay us our money so that we can fix ourselves somewhere. Some of us are old and planning to relocate to our villages. It is not easy living like this and begging for food, some of children have dropped out of school as a result of inability to meet up with school fees”.

“The continued delay in the payment of Nigeria Airways ex-staff has been causing a lot of deaths and huge challenges to the remaining staff and their families and families of dead staff. We appeal to government to help us overcome these challenges”.

The Daily Times gathered that the government was searching for over N70b to pay workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways and at an aviation stakeholders meeting, Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said his headache was how to get the former workers paid.

It was however gathered that the government has agreed to their demands and has made all necessary documentation to effect payment before March 2017 this year but government has remained silent over the issue.
The workers were last paid on five years’ calculation between 2007 and 2008 but they are agitating for 25 years pay.

Since the liquidation, the ex-workers of the airline have been living in the trenches fighting for payment of their entitlements.