Jelili Gbadamosi
The Federal Government has commenced the payment of N18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to former employees of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited.
The payment, approved by President Bola Tinubu, is expected to settle long-standing financial obligations owed to about 21,000 former workers of the national carrier.
According to the government, beneficiaries in batches one to seven have already received their payments, while the benefits of another 600 former employees in batches eight and nine are being finalised.
The payment process followed a verification exercise involving biometric capture and validation of beneficiaries’ personal and banking details.
The government said the verification was necessary to ensure that the outstanding benefits were paid to legitimate beneficiaries.
It also disclosed plans for a mop-up exercise to accommodate eligible former workers whose records were not processed during the initial exercise.
The mop-up will also cover cases involving deceased beneficiaries, with their next of kin or estates expected to complete the necessary processes to receive the outstanding entitlements.
The development is expected to provide relief to thousands of former Nigeria Airways workers who have waited for years for the payment of their severance benefits.
Nigeria Airways, the country’s former national carrier, was liquidated in 2003 after years of financial and operational difficulties.
