By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
Abuja, Nigeria – September 14, 2026
DDNewsOnline
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has praised President Bola Tinubu for initiating the payment of ₦18 billion in outstanding severance benefits to 2,700 former employees of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
The union described the intervention as a long-awaited relief for the beneficiaries, who had waited for more than two decades to receive their entitlements.
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In a statement issued by its National President, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, NUP said it was pleased that its several pleas to President Tinubu for the payment of long-outstanding entitlements owed to former Nigeria Airways workers have been acknowledged.
The union said it has repeatedly raised the issue through press statements, open letters to the President and other engagements, urging the Federal Government to provide relief to the affected former workers.
It said the payment represented “justice delayed but finally delivered” to Nigerians who gave their productive years to the country, noting that many beneficiaries had struggled with medical bills, feeding and family responsibilities, while some died without receiving their entitlements.
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The NUP commended President Tinubu, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Federal Ministry of Finance and all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) involved in the verification, processing and commencement of the payment.
It also commended the Presidential Initiative and Continuous Audit (PICA) for its efforts toward ensuring the payment exercise progresses successfully.
The union appealed for the process to be completed smoothly and transparently, with the proposed mop-up verification capturing genuine beneficiaries whose cases remain unresolved, including those with incorrect banking details and deceased beneficiaries whose legitimate entitlements should, after due verification and legal processes, go to their next of kin or lawful estates.
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“The NUP appeals to President Tinubu: please finish what you have started. Let every genuine beneficiary be captured and paid,” Abumisi stated.
NUP also praised the commencement of payment of Additional Exit Benefits to retirees of Treasury-funded MDAs under the Federal Government Exit Benefit Scheme (EBS), amounting to ₦1.1 billion for 175 retirees who exited the Federal Public Service between January 1 and August 31, 2026.
However, the union renewed its appeal for the payment of the three-month ₦25,000 monthly palliative approved for pensioners following the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023.
The NUP said three years after the approval, affected pensioners were still awaiting the payment, which it noted would provide relief amid prevailing economic pressures.
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It appealed to President Tinubu to direct the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and urged the ministry to ensure that the promised palliative is fulfilled.
The union equally appealed for continued attention to outstanding pension arrears, gratuities and other retirement benefits owed at the federal level, as well as the plight of state and local government pensioners who remain unpaid for months or years in some cases.
“Pension is not charity. Gratuity is not a favour. Retirement benefits are legitimate entitlements earned through years of service,” the union stated.
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The NUP expressed appreciation for the relief being extended to former Nigeria Airways workers and retirees under the Exit Benefit Scheme, saying such interventions demonstrate the positive impact of timely government action on the lives of pensioners and retirees.
By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. (Beedee)
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