‘We Don’t Deny NAMA Pays Standard Pensions, We Demand Approved Increments’
The Nigerian Airspace Management Pensioners Association (AMPAN) said at no time did the association claim that the agency had not paid the ex-workers’ accrued pension.
One of AMPAN members, Mr Stephen Olopha, told Aviation Metric that the bone of agitation is that NAMA has yet to implement and pay the Retirees their Pension increases as approved by the Federal Government since 2007, which he said the agency had equally admitted in its rebuttal.
He noted that the accountant employed by the agency did not conduct the computation transparently and, therefore, it was unacceptable to the Association.
He further stated that the refusal of the agency to continue the ₦32000 per month pension increase consequential as approved by the Government is a violation of the constitution, stressing that the continuous and seeking of clarifications on pension increases has resulted in delays in payment, undue hardship, poverty and premature death of NAMA retirees since 2007.
He further stated that all NAMA staff who transited from the Defined Benefits Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2004 are entitled to pension increases, saying, “We therefore state once again that more than 1000 people are affected.”
NAMA, in a letter to the Director-General, National Pension Commission (PENCOM), dated April 30th, 2025, sought clarification on the payment of monthly pension and arrears to all entitled employees, with effect from July 2004 to date and onward.
The agency also sought clarification on the implementation and payment of all pension increases approved by the Federal Government, in line with section 15(4) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, section 173(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and all national salaries, incomes and wages commission circulars.
The letter, signed by the Director, Human Resource/Administration, Abimbola Ladipo, for the Managing Director, Umar Farouk, noted that NAMA had been transferring the accrued pensions of retiring officers into their Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) to enable them to access their monthly pensions.
She further stated that the agency had been conducting a periodic review of the outstanding pension portion that had yet to be transferred, in line with the extant rules.
On June 16, 2026, AMPAN wrote a letter to PENCOM signed by its chairman, Daniel Ugheighele Irehpkono and secretary, Lawal Wasiu, to inform it of the meeting it held with NAMA management on June 1, 2026, necessitated by what it described as continuous delay in the implementation and payment of the pension increases, saying the management informed AMPAN of its unwillingness to pay the N32, 000 per month increase, which they said is a consequential adjustment in circular SWC/S/0415.542//111/461/ of September 27th, 2024.
The association insisted that the refusal to pay N32,000 per month to eligible retirees who transitioned from the defined benefits scheme to the contributory pension scheme would violate section 173(3) of the Constitution.
Olopha said, “It is very sad that some NAMA pensions whose hope was rekindled in May 2025 died while waiting for the payment of their legitimate right. It is also very pathetic that many NAMA pensioners are now above 70 years of age, sick, and living in abject poverty”.
Both the management and the in-house unions maintain that NAMA does not technically owe standard pension benefits. They argue that NAMA fully discharged its legal obligations by computing, funding, and transferring all accrued legacy rights into the retirees’ individual Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs).
The management further defended its position, explaining that because retirees are now managed by Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), NAMA cannot simply write a check for pension increments.
The agency has commissioned a comprehensive actuarial assessment to map out adjustments for 2007, 2010, 2019, and 2024, but must wait for structural clarifications from the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) to legally implement the findings.
Stakeholders believe that retirees cannot bypass the law. Others are of the view that NAMA management cannot hide behind bureaucracy forever.
To them, the path forward requires NAMA to provide the funding commitment, PENCOM to provide the legal mechanism, and the retirees to grant the administrative patience necessary for a phased payout.
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