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Stella Enenche, Abuja
The Nigerian Government is ready to pay the N45 billion pension arrears owed the over 5,000 defunct Nigerian Airways staff, minister state for Aviation, Hadi Sirika has revealed .
Sirika said approval for payment will be made immediately after the Easter break.
Speaking at the Fourth Aviation Stakeholder Forum in Abuja on Thursday, the minister said the delay in the payment is that the Senate, which is to give approval will be on break Easter break.
“The House of Representative has passed the payment, the Senate says it will pass it after the Easter break. So there is no need to close down the economy of the country,” he said .
“You don’t need to close the airspace, in this hard times we have been able to raise N45 billion to pay for the pension arrears own the workers,” her said, adding that government was concerned and committed to the welfare of workers
On 19 March 2018, Unions in the aviation sector, alongside the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress (TUC) as well as the United Labour Congress (ULC) had given the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to pay the pension arrears or face strike action.
The Unions decried the delay in the payment of N45 billion which they said was approved by the Federal Government ten months ago for payment of pension and other entitlement of over 5,000 workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
