Nigeria Airways ex-workers have lamented over the delay in payment of N36 billion severance benefits that have lingered for several years despite approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking during a press conference at the Lagos airport on Thursday, Prekeme Porbemi, a former pilot for the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited who spoke on behalf of the Nigeria Airways ex-workers, said the delay in payment has left over 5,000 families in a state of perpetual mourning. He mentioned that despite approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June 2025 to release the final N36 billion severance balance, the funds remain trapped in the corridors of the Ministry of Finance.

“We address you today with deep humility but also with a profound sense of urgency regarding the prolonged sufferings of the former staff and pensioners; nearly a year after the presidential approval, the payment has still not been implemented,” Porbemi stated.

It would be recalled that in 2004, with the liquidation of the national carrier, for 22 years, the ex-workers, now aged between 65 and 101, have fought for a one-off severance settlement calculated to represent 25 years of salary. While successive administrations made partial payments toward the original N78 billion debt, the final N36 billion has become a ghost in the machinery of government. The human cost of this delay is not measured in Naira, but in lives.

According to Porbemi, the delay has been nothing short of “devastating” for professionals who helped build Nigeria’s aviation industry from the ground up. “Many are unable to afford feeding and basic medical treatment, while others struggle daily to survive,” Porbemi lamented. “A significant number are battling age-related illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis, which have been aggravated by the harsh economic realities.”

The irony of the situation is that the political will appeared to have finally arrived in mid-2025. The approval was hailed as a ‘Renewal of Hope,’ yet ten months later, the money hasn’t been sent. “This is not merely a financial obligation. It is a matter of justice, compassion, and national conscience,” Porbemi emphasised during the briefing. “These men and women served Nigeria faithfully in their youth and deserve dignity and relief in the evening of their lives.”

He stressed that as the number of avoidable deaths among the members continues to climb, the window for justice is rapidly closing. The group appealed that the severance benefits should be moved from approval to action before there are no more survivors left to receive the benefits.