The Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) has demanded immediate payment of entitlements owed to more than 4,000 former Nigeria Airways workers. The industry think tank group described the prolonged delay as a grave injustice against aviation professionals who dedicated their productive years to national service. ASRTI President, Air Commodore (rtd) Ademola Onitiju, made the call in a statement issued on August 24, 2026.
Onitiju said the former workers had endured more than two decades of uncertainty following the liquidation of Nigeria Airways Limited in April 2003. He stressed that the airline was not a private enterprise but Nigeria’s national carrier and a symbol of the country’s sovereignty. Therefore, he said, the men and women who served the airline deserved to receive their outstanding entitlements without further bureaucratic delays.
Nigeria Airways workers face decades of uncertainty
According to the ASRTI President, many former Nigeria Airways employees are now elderly and continue to wait for payments that should have provided financial security in retirement. He said the prolonged delay had created serious hardship for beneficiaries who had spent their working lives serving the country.
Onitiju said ASRTI was particularly concerned about what it described as the human cost of the delay. He said the organisation had observed the tragic loss of elderly beneficiaries, with some reportedly dying while struggling with age-related illnesses, health complications and financial hardship.
ASRTI said the situation represents more than an unresolved financial obligation. It argued that the treatment of former Nigeria Airways workers could also affect the confidence of Nigerians who are currently serving the country.
The organisation said public servants should have confidence that government will honour legitimate obligations arising from decades of national service. Instead, it said, the affected former workers have endured what it described as a dehumanising cycle of waiting and renewed expectations.
The group therefore called for the Federal Government to treat the matter as an urgent national responsibility. It also commended the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for his efforts towards resolving the long-running issue.
Presidential approval on Nigeria Airways payment
ASRTI recalled that in December 2025, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, announced during the centenary celebration of 100 years of civil aviation in Nigeria that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had approved payment of the entitlements of former Nigeria Airways staff.
According to the organisation, the presidential approval was subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for implementation. However, ASRTI expressed concern that the payment had still not been completed despite the reported approval.
The organisation described the continued administrative delay as unacceptable. It also raised concerns about what it called possible negligence, stalling, sabotage or misplacement within the administrative process.
Onitiju said it was encouraging to hear that the presidential approval document, which had reportedly been described as missing, had now been traced. He urged the authorities to act immediately and ensure the payment process moves forward.
The ASRTI President further called for accountability if any officials are found to have contributed to the delay. He said such conduct should be addressed in accordance with relevant public service regulations.
For the former workers, the issue has already stretched across generations of Nigeria’s aviation history. Many who were active employees when Nigeria Airways was operating are now pensioners, while others have reportedly died without receiving the benefits ASRTI says they are owed.
ASRTI seeks urgent action from Finance Ministry
ASRTI appealed to Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, to urgently liaise with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and other relevant authorities.
The organisation said the objective should be to ensure that the approved payments reach the legitimate beneficiaries without further delay. It argued that another round of administrative exchanges would only prolong the hardship facing the former workers.
Onitiju said the affected employees had given the better part of their youthful years to the country. He argued that their decades of service should not end with continued uncertainty over their legitimate entitlements.
ASRTI described the situation as a stain on the national conscience. It said the Federal Government should correct the situation immediately and restore dignity to the affected beneficiaries.
The organisation’s intervention also brings renewed attention to the legacy of Nigeria Airways, which served as the country’s national carrier before its liquidation in 2003.
For ASRTI, however, the matter should no longer be viewed primarily through the history of the former carrier. The immediate concern is the welfare of the surviving beneficiaries who have waited for years to receive their entitlements.
Onitiju said settling the outstanding obligations would also send an important message to serving public employees. It would demonstrate that patriotic service to Nigeria carries a corresponding responsibility from the government.
