The federal government has begun another auditing of former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways who were not captured in the previous exercise.
Speaking yesterday while inspecting Lagos and Kano centres where verification of pensioners was holding simultaneously the permanent secretary in charge of special duties in the ministry of finance, budget and national planning, Mr. Mohammed Dikwa, assured the ex-workers that the federal government would pay of their entitlements after the audit.
A statement by the deputy director of information in the ministry, Mr. Olajide Oshundun, said Dikwa was represented by the deputy director of procurement, Mr. Izerebu John.
Dikwa said the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) had commenced a week-long mop-up verification for the ex-workers who were not audited during the previous exercise.
He added that the exercise was meant to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries were audited and paid their entitlements.
He, however, advised them to cooperate with the verification officials by providing all the required documents.
It would be recalled that the Nigeria Airways was liquidated in 2004 without the almost 6,000 workers being paid any entitlements.
However, following continued agitation by the workers, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 approved 50 per cent severance package for all the audited staff of the organisation.
Meanwhile, the secretary general, Nigeria Airways Pensioners Union, Mr. Segun Adeleke expressed appreciation to the federal government for taking he described as a “bold and “commendable step.
He said the pensioners had lost hope of receiving anything from the government.
The national vice chairman of the union (north), Mr. Mohammed Adamu said only about 500 of the airline’s former workers would be audited in the mop-up exercise.
He explained that most of the eligible workers had been audited and paid 50 per cent of their severance package after the earlier exercise conducted in the six geo-political zones in September, 2018.
