Beneficiaries storm Lagos airport as FG verifies Ex-Airways workers

Former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways were in ecstatic mood Monday as the Federal Government begins verification ahead of the payment of part of their entitlements which the government approved a fortnight ago. Minister of Finance, Zaynab Ahmed had disclosed that the sum of 22.6bn being 50 per cent of the N45bn earlier approved […]

Former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways were in ecstatic mood Monday as the Federal Government begins verification ahead of the payment of part of their entitlements which the government approved a fortnight ago.

Minister of Finance, Zaynab Ahmed had disclosed that the sum of 22.6bn being 50 per cent of the N45bn earlier approved by the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) would be paid.

The payment is coming after years and months of agitations, protests in Abuja and Lagos.

Ahead of the payment, the beneficiaries are being verified in three locations in Lagos, Kano and Enugu.

Thousands of the beneficiaries stormed the venue of the verification in Lagos inside the Skypower Catering Services at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA).

They were all in happy mood as the team from PICA, an agency under the Ministry of Finance conducts the verification.

It was learnt that 1,000 beneficiaries were supposed to be verified nationwide daily with 50 per cent of them, representing 500 coming from Lagos alone.

But, a vehicle accident, which occurred on the Lagos Airport road, disrupted power supply to the venue, while the servers supplied by PICA, too could not function properly at the initial stage. This reportedly caused delay in the commencement of screening.

Despite the hiccup, A PICA official, Mr. John Waitono, who is coordinating the exercise in Lagos said the agency had gone far with the exercise.

He stated that the exercise would be rounded up in Lagos latest by Friday while the payment would commence almost immediately through electronic means.

President, Aviation Union Grand Alliance (AUGA) and a beneficiary, Engr. Lookman Animashaun, in an interview with our correspondent, described the exercise as smooth despite the earlier disruption.

Animashaun explained that nationwide, a total number of 5,969 ex-workers of the airline would benefit from the money.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister while appealing to the government to disburse the balance of N22.5bn as promised.

Mr. Frank Osch, a senior aircraft engineer with the defunct airline expressed happiness with the commencement of the exercise.

Also speaking, Mr. Felix Agbagwu, Senior Personnel Officer, Nigeria Airways, also commended the government for the payment after many failed promises. “Though it came very late but all the same we are happy that our prayers have finally come to pass. We want the President to use his good office to approve the remaining balance”.