Economy
REVEALED: Real Reasons for Delay in Payment of Ex-Nigeria Airways Workers
By Olusegun Koiki
Daily Independent newspaper has unearthed the real reasons former workers of the defunct Nigerian Airways are yet to receive the severance package despite President Muhammadu giving the approval for the payment.
It was gathered that the conflict between the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), a department under the Ministry of Finance, is stalling final payment of severance benefit to ex-workers of the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways.
Independent learnt that the conflict between the two government bodies is as a result of who gets the administrative charge from the severance package of the ex-workers.
Recommendations
The inter-ministerial committee raised by the government verified the status of ex-workers of Nigeria Airways and came up with N78 billion benefit for the former staff of the airline. The committee recommended one percent administrative charge of the total sum to be given to any government agency that disburses the money to the ex-workers. This amounted to N735 million.
In its recommendation, the inter-ministerial committee also said that the OAGF should disburse the N78 billion to all the beneficiaries.
However, PICA in its own recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari reduced the total benefit to N43 billion, but increased the administrative charge to N2.1 billion without recourse to any percentage as recommended by the inter-ministerial committee.
Breakdown Of Benefit
A document seen by Independent revealed the breakdown of the N78 billion benefit thus: serving staff, N20.9 billion; presidential fleet, N1.4 billion; Skypower Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), N4 billion; retired staff from SAHCOL, N207.7 million; properties, N1 billion and catering, N1.1 billion.
Others are pensioners, N37.3 million; deferred pensioners, N920.5 million; 1988 Group, N6.4 billion; one percent administrative charge, N735 million; one percent mark-up contingencies, N735 million; salary of four retained staff working on the benefit for 12 months, N10.5 million; office running cost at N100,000 monthly for 12 months, N1.2 million and supplementary at N3 billion.
Interest In Administrative Charge
A reliable source told Independent that PICA, which was set up by President Buhari in 2015, few months after coming into office to carry out final verification of any payment by the Federal Government suddenly became interested in payment of the severance package to the former workers of the airline because of the administrative charge involved.
The document revealed that the inter-ministerial committee had recommended the sum of N78 billion as the total severance package for 10 years for the workers, including pension arrears for the period after the physical verification of about 6,000 beneficiaries.
The workers had initially insisted on another 20 years payment of severance package as agreed with the Federal Government in 2009 before the payment of five years of severance package to them by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009.
PICA in its recommendation to the government slashed the sum to just N43 billion, and expunged the 10 years pension arrears as agreed with the former workers and their unions by the inter-ministerial committee.
Anger
However, sources said the reduction of a massive N35 billion from the recommended and approved N78 billion by the inter-ministerial committee did not go down well with the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who insisted that the earlier approved sum must be paid.
A source close to the committee confided in our correspondent that the Federal Government was ready to pay the total sum to the ex-workers who have lost at least 700 of their members since the airline was liquidated in 2013 to avoidable deaths, but PICA is a stumbling block to that payment, which has further put the government in a dilemma.
The source wondered how PICA arrived at the N2.1 billion administrative charge after reducing the total sum to be paid to the ex-workers to N43 billion which represented 45 percent reduction.
“PICA is the only body that is standing between the payment of the final severance package to us and the government. President Buhari has agreed to pay the total sum to us until everything was taken to PICA for final verification.
“PICA without following due process, suddenly reduced our total benefit to just N43 billion, but ironically increased its own administrative charge to N2.1 billion, which is a difference of N1.3 billion. And the government thinks they can come up with a national carrier without first settling us, I think that will be practically impossible.
“Several bodies are ready to take the government to court even outside the country. I can assure you that anywhere their aircraft flies to such an aircraft would be impounded until all debts are settled. We are talking of ex-workers in Europe and several other African countries. Some of them are already in court to ensure their payments. PICA is not helping matters and may make the case worse for impending investors.”
It would be recalled that apart from the Nigerian staff of the airline who are owed pension arrears, outstations like those in Rome, Saudi Arabia, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Dubai and all the French speaking countries in Africa are also yet to benefit from the severance package.
Only staff of the airline in United Kingdom and United States were paid their entitlement of 25 years severance package in full.
The total sum of N29.1 billion, which represented five years severance package was paid to the former workers of the airline by the late Yar’Adua in 2009 after years of agitation by the ex-workers.
Source: Daily Independent
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of MRS Oil and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.68 per cent on Friday, June 5.
MRS Plc lost N19.00 during the session to sell at N171.00 per share compared with Thursday’s value of N190.00 per share, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by N8.70 to finish at N181.68 per unit compared with the preceding session’s N190.38 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation further lost N22.59 billion to close at N2.607 trillion versus the N2.630 trillion it ended a day earlier, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) dropped 37.76 points to settle at 4,358.32 points, in contrast to the previous day’s 4,396.08 points.
The alternative stock market closed the last trading day of this week with a price gainer, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which gained 6 Kobo to quote at N78.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N78.34 per share. However, it could not prevent the market from going down at the close of business.
Yesterday, the volume of securities bought and sold by investors went down by 50.0 per cent to 140,345 units from the preceding day’s 280,714 units, the value of stocks decreased by 16.5 per cent to N17.9 million from the previous session’s N21.5 million, and the number of deals carried out by market participants fell by 35.7 per cent to 27 deals from the 42 deals recorded on Thursday.
When trading activities closed for the day, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units exchanged for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 64.7 million units traded for N4.4 billion.
GNI Plc also ended the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
Renewed interest in financial stocks and others lifted the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited by 0.15 per cent on Friday.
Customs Street closed higher yesterday despite the 1.37 per cent loss recorded by the consumer goods sector as a result of profit-taking.
This was offset by gains in the other key sectors of the local bourse, as the insurance counter chalked up 1,14 per cent. The banking space appreciated by 0.90 per cent, the industrial goods segment grew by 0.46 per cent, and the energy sector expanded by 0.01 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 366.00 points to 242,593.31 points from 242,227.31 points, and the market capitalisation gained N235 billion to close at N155.594 trillion compared with the previous day’s N155.359 trillion.
The trio of International Energy Insurance, Abbey Mortgage Bank, and DAAR Communications improved by 10.00 per cent each yesterday to N7.26, N9.35, and N1.98, respectively, while Zichis advanced by 9.39 per cent to N32.38, with Sovereign Trust Insurance up by 8.70 per cent to N2.50.
On the flip side, Academy Press lost 9.84 per cent to quote at N8.25, University Press depreciated by 9.73 per cent to N5.10, Africa Prudential dipped by 2.63 per cent to N12.95, Chams crumbled by 2.44 per cent to N4.00, and International Breweries slipped by 1.59 per cent to N12.35.
Business Post reports that the market breadth index was positive during the session after recording 37 appreciating equities and 14 depreciating equities, implying strong investor sentiment.
Abbey Mortgage Bank led the activity chart with a turnover of 164.1 million units worth N1.5 billion, Ellah Lakes sold 76.7 million units for N767.2 million, Access Holdings transacted 44.8 million units valued at N1.1 billion, Linkage Assurance exchanged 23.0 million units worth N41.2 million, and The Initiates traded 20.2 million units for N562.1 million.
At the close of trades, market participants transacted 608.5 million units worth N32.0 billion in 53,826 deals versus the 588.5 million units valued at N27.9 billion executed in 57,352 deals in the previous session. This showed that the number of deals eased by 6.15 per cent, the volume of transactions rose by 3.40 per cent, and the value of transactions soared by 14.70 per cent.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira further depreciated against the United States Dollar by N3.46 or 0.25 per cent to N1,362.21/$1 from N1,358.75/$1 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, June 5.
However, it appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market window during the session by N4.47 to trade at N1,823.59/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,828.06/£1, and gained N7.00 against the Euro to sell at N1,574.58/€1, in contrast to Thursday’s closing price of N1,581.58/€1.
For another trading session, the Nigerian Naira maintained stability against the Dollar in the parallel market and the GTBank forex counter on Friday at N1,375/$1 and N1,372/$1, respectively.
The Naira is expected to remain strong in the near term, backed by a rise in external reserves, which are nearing $50 billion, enhancing analysts’ confidence about its outlook in the second half of 2026.
Heightened global uncertainty has reduced the incentive for importers and corporates to demand FX, as cautious trade weighs on import needs. Analysts estimate a $40 billion net FX position for the year, a projection anchored in oil windfall gains.
As for the cryptocurrency market, prices remained depressed following a strong US jobs report that spurred markets to price in higher-for-longer interest rates, sending Treasury yields and the dollar up while hammering stocks, especially AI-related names. Crypto markets saw heavy leverage washouts with about $1.6 billion in positions liquidated over 24 hours.
Ethereum (ETH) gave up 4.9 per cent to trade at $1,584.68, Solana (SOL) fell by 3.3 per cent to $63.22, Bitcoin (BTC) crashed by 1.9 per cent to $61,333.23, Dogecoin (DOGE) slipped by 1.8 per cent to $0.0821, and Ripple (XRP) moderated by 1.8 per cent to $1.09.
Further, TRON (TRX) dropped 1.6 per cent to sell at $0.3197, Binance Coin (BNB) slumped by 1.0 per cent to $581.18, and Cardano (ADA) declined by 0.4 per cent to $0.1589, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) gained 0.07 to sell at $0.9997, and US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $0.9998.
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