Former employees and pensioners of the now-defunct Nigeria Airways have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene after discovering that their outstanding N36 billion severance and pension entitlements were omitted from the 2026 budget.
In a letter dated May 7, 2026, and addressed to the President, the retirees expressed shock that no provision had been made for their payments in both the extended 2025 budget and the 2026 Appropriation Bill. The letter, obtained by The Guardian, was jointly signed by Comrade Olusegun Adeleke, Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Airways Branch, and Comrade Thomas Ojuderi, the Secretary. Copies were also sent to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.
The pensioners acknowledged President Tinubu’s approval of the payment process in May 2025 but lamented that the N36 billion earmarked for them was not reflected in the budget. Their hopes were raised during the 2025 budget extension and the 2026 Appropriation Bill, only to be dashed when no allocation was found.
“But it came as a rude shock to us when we could not trace the N36 billion meant for us in the 2025/2026 budget,” the letter read. The retirees urged the President to use his authority to direct the Finance Minister to release the funds from any available source, describing him as their “last hope” after years of delayed payments.
The letter highlighted the severe hardship faced by pensioners, with over 1,500 of the more than 5,800 affected retirees having died due to poverty and frustration linked to unpaid entitlements. Nigeria Airways, Nigeria’s former national carrier, was liquidated in 2003, leaving thousands of workers in prolonged disputes over unpaid pensions, gratuities, and severance packages.
The retirees’ plea underscores the ongoing economic and personal struggles of former employees, many of whom continue to face poor health and worsening living conditions while awaiting payment of their benefits.
