The Nigerian government has approved the payment of N45
billion severance package to former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said this
on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr. Sirika told State House correspondents at the end of the
Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday that money has been approved for
the settlement of the entitlements.
He said: “Governments, in the past, decided just to
liquidate Nigeria Airways without tending to the issue of the entitlements of
the workers and they have been struggling to get that paid.
“We came in and took it very seriously. I’m happy to
announce that Mr. President has approved N45 billion which has been confirmed
to be the entitlements of these workers and Ministry of Finance has been
instructed to pay the money.”
He explained that the ministry wrote to his office last week
that they had received the instruction to pay the affected workers.
They are setting up the modalities to pay, Mr. Sirika added.
“You should know it won’t be paid through my ministry before
somebody will say I take some of it. It will be paid by finance through a
process, and that process will commence very soon,’’ he said.
The minister disclosed that the Council also approved the
procurement of operational vehicles for Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
Affected workers of the Nigerian Airways had been embarking
on protests nationwide over their unpaid entitlements since its liquidation by
the federal government.
The national carrier was liquidated by former President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
Source: www.premiumtimesng.com
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