Industry watchdog, the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), has issued an urgent demand for the Federal Ministry of Finance to release the long-overdue ₦36 billion terminal benefits owed to more than 4,000 former employees of Nigeria Airways.
​The appeal follows a statement issued on August 24, 2026, by ASRTI President, Air Commodore (rtd) Ademola Onitiju, who labeled the persistent payment stalling as administrative sabotage. The group raised alarm over civil service red tape that has paralyzed disbursements despite prior presidential clearance.
The Federal Government liquidates national carrier Nigeria Airways in April 2023, leaving thousands of workers without immediate severance packages. An initial 50 percent partial severance payment totaling ₦36 billion is disbursed to affected staff on October 2018.
Speaking at the Centenary Celebration of Civil Aviation in Lagos, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo (SAN), reveals that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the release of the final 50 percent balance.
Implementation stalls in Abuja following reports of a misplaced approval file within the Federal Ministry of Finance. ASRTI confirms the missing document has been located and demands immediate transition from paperwork to bank disbursements.
​ASRTI highlighted the grim reality facing retirees who have endured 23 years of bureaucratic inaction. Onitiju noted that hundreds of former employees have died waiting for their benefits, succumbing to age-related illnesses, hypertension, and diabetes compounded by extreme financial hardship.
​”It is uninspirational to see citizens who served Nigeria faithfully reduced to a cycle of false hopes and endless waiting,” Onitiju stated. “If such an important document can be misplaced or stalled, those responsible must be identified and sanctioned under public service regulations.”
The advocacy group urges Minister Keyamo to immediately coordinate with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to bypass further administrative ping-pong and finalize disbursements.
