By Joshua Yousouph
The Federal Government’s payment of N18 billion severance package to 2,700 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways has rekindled attention on the plight of ex-seafarers of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), who have remained without their pensions and other legitimate entitlements for about 31 years after the national carrier was liquidated.
The development has raised fresh concerns over the prolonged delay in settling the claims of former NNSL workers, many of whom have undergone repeated verification exercises and received repeated assurances from government and relevant authorities that their outstanding benefits would be paid.
The latest development followed confirmation that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance, had commenced payment to former Nigeria Airways employees pursuant to a directive by President Bola Tinubu.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, recently disclosed that 2,100 former Nigeria Airways workers in batches one to seven had already received their payments, while another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine were being prepared for payment.
Oyedele said the payments amounted to N18 billion in severance benefits for the 2,700 beneficiaries, explaining that the government opted to pay workers whose claims had been verified rather than keep them waiting while other outstanding claims were being validated.
The payment has, however brought renewed focus to former NNSL workers whose pensions and other entitlements have remained unpaid despite decades of waiting.
Findings by Shipping Position Daily showed that August had repeatedly been mentioned as a possible window for commencement of payment to the affected ex-seafarers, raising fresh expectations among the beneficiaries.
But speaking with our correspondent last week, one of the affected former seafarers, Hassan Muhammed, said there had been no new development beyond the August 2026 promise.
“There’s no update for now. We are still expecting them. The union told us August late last year to this year. We have been coming along with the August. That August is where we stood but unfortunately this is September and nothing has been done. So we are still waiting to see,” he lamented.
Muhammed also confirmed that the last verification exercise involving the beneficiaries was conducted in 2024.
“The last verification we did was the second verification and, that was in 2024”, he said.
However, in a statement signed by its Head of Media, Comrade John Kennedy Ikemefuna, and made available to Shipping Position Daily, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said the affected ex-seafarers had undergone a verification exercise at the Nigerian Ports Authority Sports Centre, Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos, about three years ago.
According to the union, the exercise was conducted under the leadership of the then-MWUN President General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, with the guidance of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
The MWUN acknowledged that the prolonged delay had taken a heavy toll on the surviving pensioners, many of whom are now elderly and battling serious personal challenges.
The union confirmed that some of the pensioners had become blind, suffered strokes, become wheelchair-bound or homeless, while others were struggling to raise funds for medical treatment and basic necessities.
The union disclosed that its current President-General, Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, had continued to pursue the matter since assuming office, assuring the affected pensioners that MWUN remained engaged with the Federal Government, relevant ministries and other authorities in an effort to resolve the outstanding claims.
Bunu maintained that former NNSL workers who served the country meritoriously deserve to receive their pensions and other legitimate benefits due to them after retirement.
MWUN appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the outstanding pensions and entitlements, stressing that many of the beneficiaries are already elderly and may not have many years left to wait.
The union urged the government to urgently resolve the matter and ensure that surviving NNSL pensioners receive the benefits arising from the years of service they rendered to the country.
