The Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) has lamented over the continued delay in paying the entitlements of over 4,000 former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited.
In a statement signed by Ademola Onitiju, its president, he said former staff of Nigeria Airways Limited are being tossed back and forth through bureaucratic red tape as a grave injustice to patriots who dedicated the best years of their lives to serving their fatherland.
“Nigeria Airways was never a private enterprise; it was the proud national carrier and a symbol of our collective sovereignty. The men and women who worked there were dedicated professionals who served with unwavering zeal, trusting that the nation they built would care for them in their golden years. Instead, they have been subjected to over two decades of agonising neglect following the airline’s abrupt liquidation in April 2003.
“The human cost of this delay is a national tragedy and a bad omen to citizens currently serving Nigeria dedicatedly. It is uninspiring to see hundreds of elderly beneficiaries dying tragically from age-related illnesses and preventable health complications—struggling with hypertension, diabetes, and basic penury. These senior citizens could have lived dignified, qualitative lives if their rightful benefits had been timely paid,” the president said in his statement.
He expressed disappointment that affected have been reduced to enduring a dehumanizing cycle of false hopes.
It will be recalled that in December 2025, Olorogun Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, announced at the centenary celebration of 100 Years of Civil Aviation in Nigeria that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had approved the payment of the entitlements of ex- Nigeria Airways staff sometime ago and had forwarded it to the Ministry of Finance for implementation.
“The administrative negligence and outright sabotage of Presidential Sincerity of purpose is unacceptable !
it is heartwarming to hear that the reportedly “missing” presidential approval document has been tracked and should be acted upon forthwith,” Onitiju said.
According to him, officials responsible for this systemic stalling, sabotage or misplacement should be held accountable in accordance with the appropriate public service regulations.
He commended the efforts of the Minister and appealed to him to urgently liaise with the Minister of Finance and relevant authorities to effect these payments without further delay.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
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