Former workers and pensioners of the defunct Nigeria Airways have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the alleged omission of their outstanding N36 billion severance and pension entitlements from the 2026 budget.

He lamented that many retirees are battling hardship and uncertainty years after the liquidation of the national carrier.

In a letter dated May 7, 2026 and addressed to the President, the ex-workers expressed shock over the absence of any provision for the payment in both the extended 2025 budget and the 2026 Appropriation Bill despite what they described as earlier assurances that the debt would be settled.

The letter obtained by The Guardian on Monday was jointly signed by the Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Airways Branch, Comrade Olusegun Adeleke, and the Secretary, Comrade Thomas Ojuderi.

Copies were also sent to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

The pensioners appreciated Tinubu for approving the payment process in May 2025 but said their expectations were dashed after discovering that the N36 billion approved for their settlement was not captured in the budget framework.

According to them, their hopes were raised following the extension of the 2025 budget and the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

However, they said the excitement turned into disappointment when they could not find any allocation for the payment of their entitlements.

“But it came as a rude shock to us when we could not trace the N36 billion meant for us in the 2025/2026 Budget.

“At this juncture, we became sad and perplexed. We have no option but to return to Your Excellency to invoke your authority for an executive order directing the Honourable Minister of Finance to pay our pension from any source available”, they said.

The former workers described President Tinubu as their last hope after years of delays over the payment of their benefits.

“We know and believe that Mr President is the only one to bail us out of the seemingly unending delay to our payment.

“We are appealing to your humanitarian gesture in this our pitiable situation.”

The retirees claimed that more than 1,500 out of over 5,800 pensioners and former staff affected by the liquidation of Nigeria Airways had died over the years due to hardship, poverty and frustration linked to the non-payment of their entitlements.

Nigeria Airways, formerly Nigeria’s national carrier, was liquidated in 2003, leaving thousands of former employees in prolonged disputes over unpaid pensions, gratuities and severance packages.

Over the years, many of the affected retirees have repeatedly decried worsening economic hardship, poor health conditions and the deaths of former colleagues while awaiting payment of their benefits. (The Guardian)