Travel/Tourism
Nigeria Airways Pensioners: Unions Threaten to Frustrate Nigeria Air
The National Executive Council of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has threatened to shut down activities at airports across the country, if the Federal Government fails to settle all labour issues including payment of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited workers’ severance package before going ahead with the planned establishment of Nigeria Air.
Similarly, the National Union of Air Transport Employees says there will be no national carrier unless the entitlements of the ex-workers of the defunct airline were paid.
ATSSSAN, in a communiqué issued on Monday, following a meeting of its National Executive Council, stated that over 960 Nigeria Airways workers had died in very avoidable health conditions while waiting for their entitlements.
The communiqué, which was signed by the National President, Ahmadu Ilitrus, and Deputy General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, read in part, “NEC-in-session laments the failure of the Federal Government to settle the outstanding entitlements of ex-workers of Nigeria Airways several years after the airline was liquidated.
“NEC appreciates the selfless efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, who finally gave approval for the payment of N45bn towards the settlement of the entitlements sometimes last year, yet condemns the non-payment as of date, and has resolved that the issue of payment of the severance benefits of ex-Nigeria Airways workers must be resolved immediately in order to forestall brewing labour issues that could affect, in the negative, the prospects of the recently unveiled Nigeria Air by the Federal Government.”
The association warned that if the Federal Government failed to pay the workers their entitlements, it would not guarantee any place for the new airline in the industry.
The General Secretary, NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, told our correspondent that there would be no national carrier if former Nigeria Airways workers’ entitlements were not paid.
“The three unions, NUATE, ATSSSAN and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, are working together to ensure this money is paid to the ex-NAL workers. Three weeks ago, we sent a letter to President Buhari, urging him to look at the issue again because there have been some misconceptions arising from the initial approval given more than one year ago for the payment. As it is, we do not know what is happening but we know there cannot be a national carrier except the money is paid,” he said.
ATSSSAN also threatened to shut down activities at airports across the country, if the Federal Government failed to settle all labour issues before going ahead with the planned concession of airports.
It added that the concession of four airports – the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja, Port Harcourt Airport and Aminu Kano Airport, Kano – operated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria would cripple the agency as they were major revenue earners.
It stated, “The ATSSSAN NEC fears that if the government succeeds with the concession of the airports, the entire operations of FAAN will collapse, as all other airports operated by FAAN are maintained or supplemented with revenue generated from the four referenced airports.
“FAAN has huge pension liabilities and will not be able to settle its pension obligations to retirees; safety at our airports will be compromised; and salaries of the over 6,900 members of staff scattered around the 22 airports presently managed by FAAN would be compromised.”
The association said the concession would also lead to high airports charges in the affected airports which would affect airlines, and by direct implication, result in high air ticket prices.
It advised the Federal Government to look at other successful models of managing airports such as those that had been done in South Africa, Egypt, Namibia, Ghana and other civil aviation jurisdictions around the world.
“The NEC, therefore, mandated the leadership of ATSSSAN to keep vigil and that perhaps the government insists on the concession of the airports as planned, ATSSSAN must insist that all labour issues including workers’ entitlements and pension rights are settled by the government; failing which ATSSSAN shall not guarantee industry peace at our airports,” it added.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
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