Nigeria Airways Retirees Are Getting 50% Of Their Severance Packages 15 Years Later

15 years after shutting down, Nigeria Airways retirees will receive about 50% of their severance packages.

This is coming a week after the Nigerian government suspended the Nigeria Air project.

President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government on Monday, September 24, 2018, approved the release of N22.68 billion as retirement benefits of ex-workers of the Nigeria Airways Limited (in Liquidation).

Payment of former Nigeria Airways severance packages

The payment came weeks after the former Nigeria Airways workers threatened to frustrate the kick off of the national carrier, Nigeria Air.

The government also paid the sum of N20 billion for the revitalization fund of public universities as requested by universities' lecturers, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria's Minister of Finance, stated this during a press briefing in Abuja, the nation's capital on Monday.

Nigerian Airways and other national airlines that have gone into extinction (Guardian Nigeria)

The amount was about 50% of the total retirement package of the affected former aviation workers.

'This amount was verified by Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) and other relevant stakeholders in line with the condition of service of Nigeria Airways Limited in liquidation and other extant rules and regulations.' Buhari government suspends Nigeria Air project

Last week, the Nigerian government announced its decision to suspend the proposed national carrier . Aviation players question level of preparedness

Although the government claimed the reasons was basically 'strategic' but industry players questioned the level of preparedness on the part of the government and believed the project has grey areas that need simplification.

Nigeria Air looks airborne again (Presidency)
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) were among those that kicked against the new national carrier.

They had envisaged that new airline will not kick off until the severance package of the staff of the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, have been paid.

The group also expressed concerns about the government's level of involvement in the airline despite its public claims that it will not be involved in the operations of the airline.

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