Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
PENSIONERS of the defunct Nigeria Airways have accused the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Auditing (PICA) of not being forthright with information about the payment of N45bn arrears since the announcement was formally made by Federal Government in September this year.
PICA is saddled with the responsibility of effecting this payment but according to the unions have turned deaf ears to the plight of the pensioner who feel that streaming out modalities for payment would not take more than two weeks.
The NAL branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP)’s complain is coming one month after the approval was announced by Federal Executive Council meeting of 20th September, 2017 for immediate payment of N45 billion ex-workers/pensioners of the defunct Nigeria Airway Limited (NAL).
According to the pensioners, it is now more than one month since the approval for payment was announced and no progress has been made.
In the official document signed by the Chairman, Comrade Segun Feyisetan and the Secretary General, Comrade Thomas Ojuderi, the NAL pensioners said that Presidential Initiative on Continuous Auditing (PICA) which was saddled with the responsibility of effecting this payment has not contacted the union about this payment since the announcement was formally made.
“By now PICA (which is handling this payment) would have called the union to a meeting to work out the modalities of payment with a view to informing the beneficiaries the date of commencement of verification but it’s like everything is shrouded secrecy. No one knows what is happening”, they said.
“PICA should let us know what is happening to our approved payment because we are losing our members on a daily basis due to lack of finance to take care of their welfare. ln fact, very recently we just lost Alh. B. lzgu, Alh. Dairu Musa, Alh. Baba Gana Bukar, Alh. Musa Otoro, Capt. Akinyosade, Capt. Akintaju, Dr. Aka, Mr. Kenneth Onyechere and Engr. K.C. Amah to mention just a few. PICA cannot carry out this exercise alone, they need the union to work with as the link between the beneficiaries and Government”.
According to the pensioners, this payment involves ten different countries of the world, not just Nigeria and these beneficiaries are equally waiting for this approved payment.
“We are calling on and appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene on this issue and order release of this payment to the beneficiaries. we are equally calling on the Honorable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to please continue his good work and see to the full payment of our entitlements”, the pensioners stated.
