Retirees of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) staged peaceful protest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos yesterday over the non-payment of severance package.
The ex-workers who turned out in large number blocked the road linking the international wing of the airport to the domestic and General Aviation Terminal wings of the airport, thus disrupting traffic.
With average age of 67 years, members of ex-NAL workers could not trek for long distance but carried their placards aloft with messages excoriating top officials of the Ministry of Finance who allegedly refused to release the the last of their severance payment, amounting to about N45 billion.
The money was approved for their pension payment last year by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The protesters demanded explanation from the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun on why their pension approved since May last year has not been paid.
The protest kicked off from the Skypower Catering Service with many of the members participating.
Before they started off, they were earlier addressed by their leaders including the Chairman of Nigeria Airways’ branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Comrade Sam Ezene and Lukman Animasahun.
Nzene said the protest would move to Abuja today if nothing was heard from the government on the status of their payment.
“The Minister (of Finance, Kemi Adeosun) keeps insisting that National Assembly has to approve and we went to the National Assembly but they said there is nothing on Nigeria Airways at the National Assembly. That is what we have been dragging since September,” he said.
The retirees were elated last year when the Minister of State, Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika facilitated the approval of the payment and there was hope that it would be done very soon but since then the ex-NAL workers had not been paid.
