400 Nigeria Airways Ex-Workers Still Await Payment after N36bn Missing Approval Document Found

About 400 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited are still awaiting payment of their outstanding entitlements, despite the reported recovery of the presidential approval document authorising the release of the final ₦36 billion tranche.

The development has renewed calls for the Federal Government to immediately conclude the payment process and bring an end to years of hardship suffered by former employees of the national carrier.

The Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), in a statement by its president, Air Commodore (rtd.) Ademola Onitiju, mni, described the prolonged delay as a “grave injustice” to former Nigeria Airways workers who dedicated their productive years to the service of the country.

The latest development follows findings by a four-member delegation of Concerned Elders, comprising Alhaji Ore Salako, Engineer Ayuba Kyari, Capt. Prex Porbeni and Mr. Chris Aligbe, which visited Abuja between June 16, and 18, to establish the reason for the delay in payment.

The delegation held discussions with officials of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Federal Ministry of Finance, and was informed that the presidential approval authorising the release of the N36 billion could not initially be located.

According to the delegation’s report, the missing approval had become the major administrative obstacle to completing the payment process.

An official handling the matter at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. John Waitono, reportedly confirmed that the relevant approval document could not be found in the ministry’s files.

Technical Adviser to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Akor Abbah, also reportedly confirmed that the process remains active but cannot be concluded without the presidential approval.

During the meeting, Abbah contacted officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), who also confirmed the importance of the missing document.

Officials further explained that because the amount involved was beyond the approval threshold of the Minister of Finance, a fresh submission to the President might become necessary if the original approval could not be recovered.

However, in a significant turn of events, ASRTI said, on Monday, that the reportedly missing approval document had now been traced.

The organisation urged the government to act immediately on the recovered document and release the funds without further administrative delays.

“It is heartwarming to hear that the reportedly ‘missing’ presidential approval document has been tracked and should be acted upon forthwith,” ASRTI said.

The group, however, called for accountability over the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a document central to the implementation of an already approved payment.

“Officials responsible for this systemic stalling, sabotage or misplacement should be held accountable in accordance with the appropriate public service regulations,” it said.

The payment saga dates back more than two decades to the liquidation of Nigeria Airways in April 2003. Former employees have since endured prolonged uncertainty over their severance benefits and other outstanding entitlements.

The Federal Government approved the final N36 billion tranche in June 2025, raising expectations among the former workers that the long-running matter would finally be resolved.

In December 2025, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had also announced that President Bola Tinubu had approved payment of the entitlements and that the approval had been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for implementation.

Despite the approval, payment was not effected, prompting the Concerned Elders to undertake their fact-finding mission in Abuja.

ASRTI said the delay had exacted a heavy human cost, with many elderly former workers reportedly dying while waiting for their entitlements.

It noted that the beneficiaries were not merely former employees but citizens who had devoted years of service to Nigeria’s national airline.

The organisation appealed to Keyamo to urgently liaise with the Minister of Finance and other relevant authorities to ensure that the recovered approval translates into actual payment.

The Concerned Elders had earlier resolved to continue engaging the relevant ministries and agencies and to intensify efforts to ensure that the former Nigeria Airways workers receive their outstanding entitlements.