The federal government has extended the ongoing verification exercise of Nigeria Airways Limited former workers and assured that the exercise will not end until everybody is captured.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, stated this on Wednesday during her visit for an on the spot assessment of the exercise across the three centres. She said additional desk has been made available to address all complaints. The centres are located in Kano, Enugu and Lagos.
The Minister, who was represented by the secretary, Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Dr Mohammed Dikwa, appealed to all participants to be patient with the officials until they are all attended to.
According to Dr Dikwa, over 6000 former staff of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited spread across the three centres will be attended to during the period of the exercise. He added that 40% will be attended to in Kano centre while 50% and 10% will be attended to in Lagos and Enugu centres respectively.
“We are here on behalf of the honourable minister of finance, Hajia Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, based on the directive of His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, to release the entitlements of ex-workers of Nigeria Airways Limited (liquidation). I convey first and foremost the greetings of the honourable minister to you.
“We are very much aware at the federal level, of the suffering you people have undergone over the years. It is as a result of this that Mr. President forced the Honourable Minister to immediately release funds for the ex-workers of the Nigerians Airways Limited.
“Now the funds are ready, what is left for us to do here is to conduct that verification exercise, which started on Monday. Let me inform you that the verification exercise will continue until such a time that each and everyone that is entitled is captured. I want you to be patient and orderly so that you get verified and get your entitlements latest by next week.
“Also for many of you who were omitted, we will address it squarely and make sure that all those who are entitled and admitted are verified and paid their entitlements. On this note we are going to dedicate additional desk for you to go and lay your complains, put down your details and as soon as the team report back to Abuja next week we will address the matter with dispatch.
“And for those who are deceased and are also omitted be assured that your entitlements will be paid. We are going to look into the records and be sure that you are entitled and once that is ascertained, you will be paid” Dikwa stressed.
Others with Dr Dikwa, who also was the leader of the delegation to the three centres where the exercise is taking place simultaneously, include; the special advisers on media and communications to the honourable minister of finance, Mr Paul Ella Abechi, special adviser on ICT to the honourable minister of finance, Mr Abubakar Aruwa and others.
