The Federal Government has commenced the payment of N18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,700 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways, more than 20 years after the national carrier was liquidated.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.
He said 2,100 former workers in batches one to seven have been paid, while another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine have been cleared for payment.
According to Oyedele, the payment was made following a directive from President Bola Tinubu to resolve the long-standing obligation to the former workers.
He noted that some beneficiaries had grown old while waiting for their entitlements, while others had died, leaving their families to pursue the payments.
The minister explained that the government conducted extensive verification, including biometric capture and validation of personal and banking details, to prevent fraudulent claims.
He added that further verification would be carried out for beneficiaries with outdated information, incorrect bank details and deceased workers whose next of kin or estates are required to complete the necessary legal processes.
Oyedele said the government was paying the former workers based on the documented and verified amounts, without additional inflation adjustments.
He acknowledged that inflation had significantly reduced the value of the money over the past two decades but said there was no provision for such adjustments in the settlement.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government had paid outstanding obligations to more than 12,000 indigenous contractors, as part of efforts to clear inherited debts.
He said the government was prioritising smaller contractors and taking steps to prevent the accumulation of similar unpaid obligations in the future.
He apologised to former Nigeria Airways workers for the prolonged delay, stressing that the payments represented legitimate entitlements owed to the beneficiaries and not government favours.
