The Federal Government has started disbursing N18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,700 former employees of the defunct Nigeria Airways, more than two decades after the national carrier was liquidated.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announced the development on Friday during a press briefing at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.
He said 2,100 former workers in batches one to seven had already received their payments, while another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine had been cleared and were due to be paid shortly.
“Altogether, this represents N18bn in benefits for 2,700 former workers,” Oyedele stated.The minister noted that many of the affected workers had grown old while waiting for their entitlements, and some had died, leaving their families to pursue the claims.
The payments followed a directive from President Bola Tinubu to settle the long-standing obligation.
Oyedele acknowledged that no amount could fully make up for more than 20 years of delay, but stressed that the government preferred to confront and resolve inherited debts rather than leave them unresolved for another generation.
He described the exercise as part of wider efforts to clear verified outstanding obligations, including those owed to pensioners and indigenous contractors.
The payments followed rigorous verification processes, including biometric capture and validation of personal and banking details, to prevent fraud.
Further checks will address cases involving outdated records, incorrect bank information, or deceased beneficiaries whose next of kin must complete legal processes.
Oyedele confirmed that the settlements are based on the originally documented and verified amounts, with no inflation adjustment applied.
Payments are being made in batches so that verified beneficiaries do not have to wait longer while remaining claims are processed.
The benefits cover all categories of former Nigeria Airways staff without distinction between junior and senior employees.
The minister also revealed that the government has settled outstanding claims for more than 12,000 indigenous contractors, prioritising smaller firms owed N50 million or less before moving to larger verified claims.
He warned contractors against paying any commissions or inducements to officials to facilitate payments, describing such demands as illegal.
Oyedele apologised to the former Nigeria Airways workers for the prolonged wait, emphasising that the payments are legitimate entitlements rather than government favours.
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