ATSSSAN, ASRTI Commend FG as Ex-Nigeria Airways Workers Begin Receiving Entitlements

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) have commended the Federal Government for commencing payment of outstanding entitlements to former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways.

ATSSSAN National President John Ogbe, who has long championed the workers’ cause, told Daily Sun that some beneficiaries had already received payments. He expressed confidence that the process would be completed soon.

Ogbe said the development fulfilled one of his campaign promises and thanked President Bola Tinubu; the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN; the Ministry of Finance; and the Accountant-General of the Federation for helping to accelerate the process.

“We want to commend President Tinubu, the Minister who served as a catalyst to speed up this payment process, and also the Office of the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation. This is a victory for ATSSSAN, as most of the Nigeria Airways staff belonged to the union till today,” he said.

He added: “I feel fulfilled because it was one of my campaign promises to push for the payment of outstanding entitlements for our members.” Ogbe noted that former Nigeria Airways workers had endured untold hardship while waiting for final settlement.

Similarly, ASRTI commended Tinubu and Keyamo for addressing the delayed payment. In a statement signed by its President, Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (rtd), the group praised the government’s responsiveness to the ex-workers’ plight, but urged it to promptly pay the entitlements of the remaining living and deceased staff to their families.

“The Nigeria Airways 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 contributed to build would care for them in their golden years,” Onitiju said.

He called on the Federal Government to conclude the payment process “to end their avoidable sufferings and loss of lives.”