Ex Nigerian Airway workers accuse AGF of sabotaging Tinubu’s 2027 re-election N36bn unpaid
Aggrieved ex-workers of the defunct Nigerian Airways Limited have accused the Accountant General of the federation of deliberate attempt to sabotage the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his refusal to pay the sum of N36 billion being the balance of their severance benefits after its approval by the President in June 2025.
The liquidated airline workers disclosed that more than 600 former staff have died while awaiting their benefits since the demise of the airline in 2004 adding that “We are helpless as obituary announcements of our colleagues flood our platforms daily.”
Addressing aviation correspondents in Lagos on Thursday, a former Presidential Pilot with the airline, Captain Prex Porbeni who spoke on behalf of the workers accused the office of the AG of failure to carry out the directive of the President.
The ex-NAL urged Tinubu to issue an express order to those concerned to ensure the funds are released without delay, stressing that “It should be a source of concern to us as a country that somebody, some people somewhere are willing and able to defy the president of Nigeria.”
They said many of the affected former workers are now elderly citizens aged between 65 and 101 years. Today, many of them live in extreme hardship. A significant number are battling age-related illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and other health conditions, which have been aggravated by the harsh economic realities and the rising cost of healthcare and medication.
Sadly, the number of avoidable deaths among our members continues to increase, leaving families devastated and communities grieving.
Captain Porbeni said “This is one of the areas we would have been enhanced to re-elect Mr. President him but somebody somewhere is delaying it, we have children and grandchildren who are active voters and are not pleased with the ill-treatment being melted out to their parents and grandparents. Somebody is sabotaging the president.
“From what we are hearing today is that the Minister of Finance has authorised the accountant general and what is the job of the accountant general? It is to pay on instruction. If there is truth to this narrative, then his action amounts to sabotage of the federal government, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
