Te Federal Government on Monday pledged that it would soon pay former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who made the pledge in Abuja during the daily briefings on updates on COVID-19, said the names of those who had not been paid were currently being compiled.
He said the government had paid about 50 per cent of those owed by the defunct airline, adding that the payment was done despite the paucity of funds in the country at the time it was made.
“The President asked us to pay about 50 per cent of the affected workers then and they were paid,” Sirika stated.
The minister had stated in March 2018 that the N45bn severance package of former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited would be paid after the Easter holiday that year.
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Sirika had said, “Every expenditure of government needs a legislative stamp, including that for Nigeria Airways pensioners.
“The House of Representatives has already dealt with the matter and passed it. So, once they pass it at the Senate, which is after Easter, we will go ahead and pay.”
He added, “The money has been provided and we are willing to pay, but we have to legalise it by going through the National Assembly to approve and stamp it.
“It is the requirement of the law and this government will always do things in accordance with the law. So, we will pay the workers.”
Responding to a question at the briefing in Abuja on Monday, the minister stressed that the remaining workers of the defunct airline would get their pay soon, although he did not mention any specific time.
