As the sun rises and sets everyday, thousands of retirees of the liquidated national carrier, Nigeria Airways, are left to face the harsh realities of a life without a steady income. The once-thriving airline, which was liquidated in 2004, has left behind a trail of broken dreams and shattered hopes for its former employees.
The retirees, who number around 6,000, are appealing to the Federal Government to return them to the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) like their counterparts in other sectors of the economy. This, they believe, would enable them to receive their pensions for life, a promise that was made to them but never fulfilled.
In a letter dated May 20, 2024, signed by Stephen Onuh and Ahmed Sulugambari, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Association of Airways Retired Workers of Nigeria (AARWN), the retirees are seeking an audience with Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. They want to express their displeasure over the attitudes of some staff in the ministry towards their plight and to press home their demands for inclusion in the DBS.
The retirees claim that they were enrolled in the scheme until the liquidation of the airline in 2004, but were controversially removed from it by the government after the airline’s demise. They argue that pensioners are never paid off, but are paid till they die, and that the N45 billion severance package they received was part-payment of their accumulated 10-year pension arrears.
The retirees are not just seeking financial compensation; they are fighting for their dignity and the promise of a secure future. They are appealing to the government to integrate them into the monthly pension payroll of the Federal Government, as recommended by the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
In a letter dated December 5, 2023, addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the retirees emphasized that the N45 billion paid to them was part-payment of their accumulated pension arrears for over 10 years. They were on the monthly pension payroll before the liquidation of the airline in September 2004, with a retired letter.
The retirees have been waiting for over four years for their pensions, and the delay has caused untold hardship and suffering. They are appealing to the government to mandate the Pensions Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to handle the payment of whatever is approved for them, while also integrating the existing pensioners before liquidation into the monthly payroll.
In another letter, dated May 20, 2024, the retirees expressed their displeasure over the attitudes of some staff in the ministry towards their plight. They accused the office of the Deputy Director and the desk officers of denying them integration into the Federal Government’s monthly pension payroll, despite interventions from all relevant government agencies.
The retirees are not just fighting for themselves; they are fighting for the dignity and respect that they deserve. They are appealing to the government to take their plight seriously and to provide them with the financial security that they need to live out their golden years in peace and comfort.
As daybreak is gradually swallowed by the night, the retirees of Nigeria Airways are left to wonder if their cries for justice will ever be heard. Will the government finally take action to right the wrongs of the past and provide them with the financial security that they deserve? Only time will tell.
