The verification of former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways would commence today and last till October 22nd.
This is as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of N22.6bn for the part payment of their entitlements.
The Ministry of Finance is carrying out the verification in three locations across the country namely; Lagos, Kano and Enugu.
Findings by Daily Trust indicate that 5, 909 affected workers would be verified.
Among them were over 840 deceased workers who would be represented at the verification exercise by their next of kin.
The N22.6bn announced by the Minister of Finance, Hajia Zaynab Ahmed on September 24 represents 50 per cent of the N45bn earlier approved as the total emolument of the ex-workers after an audit by the President Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA).
Daily Trust reports that the ex-airways workers earlier demanded for N75bn as the final entitlement before PICA) slashed down the money.
The approval came almost two years after the President approved N45bn which was scheduled to be paid through promissory note of bond issuance which did not materialize.
The workers had staged many protests in Lagos and Abuja to demand for the payment even as they consistently accused the former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun of withholding the payment.
Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Nigeria Airways branch, Comrade Sam Nzene in a chat with Daily Trust on Monday, said the planned payment was a welcome development after many years of agitation during which many of their members passed away.
He however want the Federal Government not to delay in paying the remaining balance, saying the government had promised to begin the process of paying the balance of 50 per cent six months after sorting out the first batch.
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