NAMA Pensioners Threaten Protest Over Unpaid Arrears Despite N2.5bn Release

Retirees of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) are threatening to stage a protest over the agency’s failure to pay outstanding pension increases and arrears, nearly six months after the release of N2.5 billion for that purpose.

The Contributory Pensioners Union of Nigeria (CPUN), NAMA Branch, has rejected a management-proposed meeting slated for November 3. The union insists that management must meet with its representatives by October 21 and clear the outstanding arrears before the end of the month.

Union Branch Secretary Lawal Wasiu told *The PUNCH* that NAMA responded to their planned October 22 industrial action with a letter dated October 19, which he alleged was intended to deceive retirees.

Wasiu stated that the letter was directed at “NAMA Contributory Pension Scheme retirees” rather than the CPUN, which he identified as the officially recognized organization representing the pensioners.

“The purported letter was rejected,” Wasiu said.

He accused NAMA management of deliberately failing to communicate with the union since their last meeting on June 10, 2026, while instead engaging with an elders’ forum.

“NAMA management has deliberately failed to respond or communicate with the Union since the 10 June 2026 meeting, but has been meeting with the elders’ forum and deceiving the gullible retirees as confessed in the letter,” he said.

Wasiu described the proposed November 3 meeting as unacceptable, stressing that retirees can no longer afford to wait for their entitlements.

“As we speak, NAMA staff and contract staff are collecting two months’ salary, 13th Month, and the October salary, while we have nothing to collect except the peanuts we have been collecting for over 10 years of retirement which have no increments,” he said.

He questioned the whereabouts of the N2.5 billion reportedly released on their behalf in April 2026, noting that almost six months have passed without the retirees receiving their funds.

The union secretary called on NAMA management to meet with them by October 21 and ensure the payment of arrears by the end of the month, warning that failure to do so would prompt the retirees to escalate their demands.

“If NAMA management wants to dialogue or have a meeting with us it should be no later than Wednesday, 21 October 2026 and it must be ready to pay our accrued pension rights arrears by October end. If not, the presidency and the whole of Nigeria will know that NAMA management have refused to pay us our money which NSIWC computed and submitted to them since last September.”

He further criticized the agency for paying serving staff a 13th-month salary while retirees struggle to afford basic necessities.

“Why should our own money wait while the people in service are collecting 13th Month which is expected to be paid along with the December salary in October? While we continue to languish in hunger and poverty,” he lamented.

The union maintained that the outstanding payments should be made immediately rather than deferred until the end of the year.

“It is time for NAMA to pay us our money, our pension arrears. The time is now, not November, not December 2026. NAMA, pay us our pension rights arrears now.”

Wasiu urged pensioners at other NAMA stations to join the planned protest, scheduled to commence at 11 am on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

“Now that NAMA management have responded to our call for action, we are now imploring all other stations to join and demand that our money be paid this Thursday, 22 October 2026 by 11:00 am prompt.”

In a formal letter dated October 12, 2026, addressed to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NAMA, the union had demanded the immediate payment of pension increases and outstanding arrears. The letter noted that the entitlements had remained unpaid for more than two decades, despite the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) completing the computation and submitting it to the agency for implementation.

The union added that many affected pensioners are over 70 years old, with some having retired in 2008 or earlier. Several retirees depend solely on their pensions for food, accommodation, and medical treatment, and the union noted that some have died while waiting for the benefits and adjustments.