Verified ex-Nigeria Airways workers to be paid this week – FG

The Federal Government has said the former workers of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) whose accounts have been verified would be credited with their entitlements this week, adding that the exercise, which was meant to end on Monday, October 22, has been extended by additional one week to attend to all qualified beneficiaries.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who said this on Thursday while addressing the pensioners in Lagos, noted that the concerns and fears expressed on omitted and missing names in the ongoing verification exercise has been taken care of with a help desk created to attend to them.

She said the verification exercise and payment of all entitlements of the pensioners was based on the recent directives and approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister was represented by the head of the Federal Government delegation on inspection tour of the various centres and secretary, Presidential initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Dr. Mohammed Dikwa.

According to the Minister, adequate measures have been put in place to address some challenges being encountered since the exercise started last week Monday, and fast-track the process and to get every pensioner properly verified.

She appealed to the pensioners to be patient and remain orderly, adding that after the verification exercise, 50% payment of entitlements will be made in this first tranche by next week.

The minister stressed that the process which is being supervised by officials of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was to make the exercise transparent and credible.

Also the biometric capturing of all verified pensioners will address cases of duplicity and ensure seamless payment of the remaining 50% entitlements of the ex-workers.

For those who are deceased and missing documents, she said that separate desks have also been created in the three centres in Kano, Enugu and Lagos, to ensure they are verified to enable them receive their entitlements.