Aviation labour unions have renewed calls on the federal government to resolve the long-standing issue of unpaid severance benefits owed to former Nigeria Airways workers, 21 years after the liquidation of the defunct national carrier.
The appeal was made in Lagos over the weekend during the third edition of the Joint Aviation Trade Union Forum (JATUF), themed ‘Safe Landing, Strong Leadership: Prioritising Workers’ Safety and Welfare in the Aviation Sector’. Speaking at the event, the Chairman of JATUF, Mr. Ben Nnabue, described the prolonged delay in settling the retirees’ entitlements as painful and unacceptable.
Mr. Nnabue warned that the unresolved issue continues to generate anxiety among serving aviation workers and poses a risk to the federal government’s ongoing airport concession plans. He said all necessary approvals for the payment of the retirees’ severance benefits had already been granted by President Bola Tinubu and urged the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to ensure the immediate release of funds before the end of the year.
“All the people who retired in the aviation industry and are still being owed gratuity and pension, especially Nigeria Airways workers, must not be abandoned. We must rise and fight for them,” Mr. Nnabue said.
“If Nigeria Airways workers have not been paid till today, there is no guarantee that current airport workers will be protected under concession. This is one of the reasons the issue remains very sensitive to us.”
Also speaking, the General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye, expressed optimism that the former Nigeria Airways staff would receive their long-awaited payments before the end of the year.
He said the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had diligently followed up on the matter, including engagements with the Ministry of Finance.
Comrade Abioye confirmed that presidential approval for the payment had been granted and appealed to the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Yemi Cardoso, to ensure prompt disbursement so the retirees could rebuild their lives.
An ex-Nigeria Airways pilot, Capt. Prex Porbeni, also appealed to the federal government to show compassion to the affected retirees, many of whom have waited more than two decades without payment.
He said presidential approval for the payment was conveyed to the Ministry of Aviation on 10 June 2025, with the ministry responding to the Ministry of Finance on 24 July 2025, alongside the required documentation.
“We are confident that the Minister of Finance will direct his officials to pay us promptly. Sadly, quite a number of our colleagues have died in the last 21 years without receiving the reward for their hard labour,” Capt. Porbeni said.
Beyond the issue of retirees’ benefits, the General Secretary of JATUF, Mr. Hector Nnaji, called on the federal government to immediately halt the continuous deduction of 50 per cent of internally generated revenue (IGR) from some aviation agencies.
He said the practice, which has persisted for the past four years despite widespread opposition from industry stakeholders, is unsustainable.
“The aviation industry is not a profit-making organisation. You cannot deduct 50 per cent of our IGR and still expect normal operations and functional equipment,” Mr. Nnaji said, stressing that aviation operates as a cost-recovery sector rather than a revenue-driven one.
