One year after undergoing the Federal Government’s screening and verification exercise, aged seamen from the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) have expressed deep disappointment over the failure to disburse their long-awaited pension benefits.

The seafarers appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to release the funds before the end of April 2025, stressing that the payment is long overdue.

It will be recalled that in 2024, about 2,000 former employees of the defunct national carrier demanded N150 billion in retirement benefits 29 years after they were laid off due to the liquidation of the company, which collapsed after losing 24 ships to mismanagement, litigation, and debt.

Despite completing the screening and verification exercise in Lagos in April 2024, the seamen said they have seen no indication of the government’s readiness to pay.

They lamented the continued delay and urged the leadership of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to intervene by engaging the Federal Government on their behalf.

During a recent meeting with MWUN, the seamen expressed sorrow that many of their colleagues had passed away without receiving their money. They described the situation as unfortunate, especially considering the high hopes raised by government assurances in 2024.

Some of the seafarers present at the meeting were visibly affected by health challenges, with two confirmed to have gone blind due to a lack of funds for medical treatment.

The seamen passionately appealed to the union leadership for urgent intervention to champion their cause.

Responding, the President-General of MWUN, Francis Bunu, assured the seamen that their pensions and benefits would soon be paid.

He revealed that 85 per cent of the payment process had been concluded and expressed optimism that the Ministry of Finance would soon put smiles on the faces of the retired sailors.

Bunu further assured the aged seafarers that some of them would be included in a delegation of national officers and branch executives scheduled to engage the finance minister in Abuja once a window for dialogue opens.

He also commended the efforts of his predecessor in ensuring the successful completion of the 2024 verification exercise. He noted that the current MWUN leadership remains committed to seeing the disbursement process through to completion.

Also speaking, the President of the Seamen and Water Transport Branch of MWUN, Sunday Avoseh, disclosed that the union had commenced consultations on how best to engage the Minister of Finance for the immediate release of the funds.

He informed the seamen that a closed-door meeting was held on April 13, 2025, to discuss strategies for engagement.