₦36 billion retirement payout: Former Nigeria Airways staff issue urgent plea to Tinubu

Former Nigeria Airways workers and pensioners have made a heartfelt appeal to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to take immediate action after discovering that their N36 billion severance and pension entitlements were not included in the extended 2025 budget and the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

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This plea was made in a letter to President Tinubu dated May 7, 2026, which was also sent to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, expressing the ex-workers' shock and disappointment at the omission, despite previous assurances that their entitlements would be paid.

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The letter, signed by Comrade Olusegun Adeleke, Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Airways Branch, and Comrade Thomas Ojuderi, Secretary, commended President Tinubu for approving the payment process in May 2025, but lamented the absence of funds in the budget.

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The letter stated, "The entire congress of Pensioners/Ex-Workers of the Liquidated National Airline wish to salute Your Excellency with heartfelt gratitude for the approval granted our severance and pension payments in May 2025," and expressed their initial joy at the approval.

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However, the union leaders expressed their dismay and disappointment when they could not find the N36 billion allocated for their settlement in the 2025/2026 Budget, which they described as a "rude shock".

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The discovery that the funds approved for their settlement were not in the budget took a painful turn, prompting the union leaders to appeal to President Tinubu to invoke his authority and issue an executive order directing the Minister of Finance to pay their pension from any available source.

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President Tinubu is seen as the last hope for the distressed former airline workers, who have endured years of delays in receiving their entitlements, with Adeleke and Ojuderi stating, "We know and believe that Mr President is the only one to bail us out of the seemingly unending delay to our payment".

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The union leaders appealed to President Tinubu's humanitarian side, saying "We are appealing to your humanitarian gesture in this our pitiable situation," as they highlighted the plight of the affected retirees.

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More than 1,500 of the over 5,800 pensioners and former staff affected by the liquidation of Nigeria Airways have allegedly died over the years due to hardship, poverty, and frustration while waiting for their legitimate entitlements to be paid.

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Nigeria Airways, which was once the country's national carrier, was liquidated in 2003, leaving thousands of workers to face prolonged battles over unpaid pensions, gratuities, and severance benefits.

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Many of the affected retirees have repeatedly complained of worsening economic hardship, ill health, and the deaths of several former workers while awaiting payment of their entitlements, highlighting the urgent need for a resolution to their plight.