Staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) on Wednesday protested over the non-payment of N78 billion gratuities, which the federal government earlier agreed to pay them.
The workers numbering over 500 walked through the Mutrtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, carrying placards with various inscriptions on them, some of which include “In month of August, we lost 25 pensioners,” “Hon Minister of Transport, please help us,” “Please pay our severance benefits in full,” and “Our members are dying daily,” amongst others.
Discussion between the ex-workers and government seemed to have broken down earlier in the year when disagreement arose on the amount of money that would be paid for administrative charge.
Speaking during the protest yesterday, the National Chairman, Nigerian Airways, Sam Nzene said that the N78billion gratuities have been approved by president Buhari but some people have sat on the money and refused to disburse it.
“This protest is a peaceful one. We want to thank the Minister of Transportation and Minister of Aviation for approving this money that have lingered for a while. We also want them to know that we are yet to get the approved money.
“Some people have been holding on to this money. As a result, some of the staff of Nigerian Airways had died, some are very sick, while others can hardly afford three square meals a day,” Nzene said.
He added that everyone has been kept in the dark over the payment process and duration.
One of the Ex-Nigerian Airways staff, Christiana Ojukoya noted that their colleagues in Europe and America were paid that full entitlements immediately the carrier was liquidated, but lamented that those in Nigeria, Cameroon and other West African countries were neglected for years until 2009 when late President Umaru Tar’Adua paid five years of their severance packages, rather than the 25 years paid their colleagues abroad.
“The sad thing is that myself and my husband worked for this airline for 25 years and we both suffered until he died last year. My husband died in penury because we could not raise money for his medical bills. We can only appeal to the government to hasten the payment of our members” she urged.
Other ex-Nigerian Airways staff expressed their disappointment over the delayed payment of the gratuities and called on the government to intervene in the situation or more pensioners might die.
