Nigeria Airways pensioners threaten 2015 elections over alleged neglect

OVER 6000 Nigeria Airways pensioners have vowed not to vote in the forthcoming general election in the country over what they called government insensitivity and neglect since the airline was liquidated in 2002 by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s government.

Rising from a meeting in Lagos, the pensioners in their thousands regretted that all attempts to get their money paid by the government in power after the five years paid by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s government has met opposition as the government was not ready to dialogue with them.

Some of the pensioners told reporters that they regrouped as a result of maltreatment and continued neglect by government, adding that over 700 former workers of the airline have died as a result of incapacitation which resulted to various ailments.

They lamented that neither the National Assembly nor the executive was ready to listen to them adding that the five years paid them was not in the interest of the pensioners but money paid to deceased workers.

They stressed that it was for this neglect that they vowed never to participate in all the rescheduled elections. 

“We have resolved with our families throughout the country not to vote in this election because our people are dying every day. Our children have stopped going to school, our wives have abandoned us and most of us are very ill without shelter.”

“Nobody in government is listening to our cry for over 13 years and they want us to vote. Vote for people who don’t know whether we exist? We cannot because we have served the government with our hearts”

They urged government to pay them their arrears since the airline was liquidated and place them on pension for life. 

They said when they approached the law court, they were asked to settle out of court with the government representatives but nobody has initiated settlement up till today after three years of the agreement.

They therefore urged government to use the remaining four weeks to correct the anomalies adding that their colleagues in national shipping line will be paid in March while nothing is heard about Nigeria Airways.