Nigeria Airways ex-workers send SOS to Tinubu over unpaid N36b severance

by · The Eagle Online

Former Nigeria Airways workers and pensioners have issued a passionate plea to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to intervene after the alleged omission of their N36 billion severance and pension entitlements from the extended 2025 budget and the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

The ex-workers expressed shock at the exclusion, despite prior assurances to settle the long-standing entitlements.

They made the appeal in a letter addressed to President Tinubu dated May 7, 2026 and also copied to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

The letter was signed by Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Airways Branch, Comrade Olusegun Adeleke, and Secretary, Comrade Thomas Ojuderi.

The group praised Tinubu’s May 2025 approval of the payment process and the budget extensions, but lamented the absence of funds.

“The entire congress of Pensioners/Ex-Workers of the Liquidated National Airline wish to salute Your Excellency with heartfelt gratitude for the approval granted our severance and pension payments in May 2025,” the letter stated.

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“Our hearts were gladdened… But it came as a rude shock to us when we could not trace the N36 billion meant for us in the 2025/2026 Budget.”

The union leaders, however, said the development took a painful turn after they discovered that the funds approved for their settlement could not be traced in the budget.

“But it came as a rude shock to us when we could not trace the N36 billion meant for us in the 2025/2026 Budget,” they stated.

“At this juncture, we became sad and perplexed. We have no option but to return to Your Excellency to invoke your authority for an executive order directing the Honourable Minister of Finance to pay our pension from any source available.”

The distressed former airline workers said Tinubu remained their last hope after years of delays surrounding the payment of their entitlements.

“We know and believe that Mr President is the only one to bail us out of the seemingly unending delay to our payment,” Adeleke and Ojuderi said in the letter.

“We are appealing to your humanitarian gesture in this our pitiable situation.”

They further lamented that out of the over 5,800 pensioners and former staff affected by the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, more than 1,500 had allegedly died over the years as a result of untold hardship, poverty and frustration while waiting for the payment of their legitimate entitlements.

Nigeria Airways, once the country’s national carrier, was liquidated in 2003, leaving thousands of workers in prolonged battles over unpaid pensions, gratuities and severance benefits.

Many of the affected retirees have repeatedly complained of worsening economic hardship, ill health and the deaths of several former workers while awaiting payment of their entitlements.

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