The Federal Government has paid N18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,100 former employees of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday.
Oyedele said another 660 former workers, covering batches 8 and 9, were being finalised for payment within the next few days.
According to him, the payments bring the total number of beneficiaries to 2,700 former Nigeria Airways workers, who are owed severance benefits following the liquidation of the national carrier more than two decades ago.
“Today is about much more than the payment of money. It’s about people, dignity, trust, and the responsibility of government to honour legitimate obligations to its citizens,” Oyedele said.
He noted that many former employees had grown old waiting for their entitlements, while some had died, leaving their families to pursue the benefits legitimately owed to them.
“We recognize that no payment today can fully compensate for more than two decades of waiting, but it is important that government confronts these long-standing obligations rather than allowing them to remain unresolved for another generation,” the Minister said.
Oyedele said the intervention was part of the administration’s broader effort to settle legitimate inherited obligations while putting Nigerians at the centre of public finance.
He said the same principle was being applied to outstanding obligations to pensioners and verified debts owed to indigenous contractors, particularly small and medium-sized businesses whose operations, employees and suppliers depend on government honouring valid contractual obligations.
“Behind every verified pension arrear is a retiree and his family. Behind every unpaid contractual certificate are Nigerian businesses, employees, and supply chain. And behind today’s N18 billion arrears severance settlement are 2,700 former Nigeria Airways workers and their families,” he said.
The Minister stressed that the government would continue to address such obligations in a fair, transparent and orderly manner, subject to the availability of resources and proper verification.
He explained that the Nigeria Airways exercise involved extensive verification, including biometric capture and validation of personnel and banking information, to ensure that public funds were protected from fraudulent claims while genuine beneficiaries received their entitlements.
Oyedele said the government would also undertake a “mock-up exercise” to resolve cases involving outdated information, incorrect banking details and deceased beneficiaries whose next of kin or estates were required to complete appropriate processes.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for providing the impetus to resolve the long-standing matter, as well as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, relevant committees of the National Assembly and officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, particularly the PICA department, for their roles in the process.
The Minister said the development underscored the government’s commitment to rebuilding public trust through the fulfilment of legitimate obligations.
“Our message to Nigerians is simple. Government must be trusted not only for the promises it makes, but also for the obligations it honors,” he said.
Oyedele added that as the government strengthened public finances, improved revenues and created greater fiscal space, it would continue to prioritise legitimate obligations that directly affect the welfare of Nigerians while maintaining transparency and fiscal discipline.
Addressing the former Nigeria Airways workers directly, the minister said their severance benefits should not be regarded as a government favour.
“For the former workers of Nigeria Airways who have waited so long, this is ultimately not a favour from governments, it is your entitlement. We apologize for the long delay and thank you for your patience,” Oyedele said.