- NAMA' s move to complete Surface Movement Radar for Lagos, Abuja airports 'll curb airside, ground incidents, others
- African airlines demand up by 10.1% in Aug
- Four must-visit places for Nigerians in Miami via Delta’s seamless connections
- Canada to reduce study permits for Nigerians, others
- TAAG Angola Airlines incorporates first A220-300 into fleet
Ex-Airways’ workers seek exchange rate review
- Envoy petitions minister, accountant-general
Counsel to West Coast workers of liquidated Nigeria Airways, Ebong Makoge Samuel, has appealed to the Nigerian government to ensure that their severance pay is calculated based on recent exchange rate and not what was computed when naira exchanged for N132 to $1.
He made this call in a petition titled: “Payment of final entitlements through promissory notes and bond issuance,” a copy of which was made available to Woleshadarenews in Lagos.
Samuel said: “We of this chamber on behalf of our clients of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited in Cameroon sincerely wish to thank you for taking the initiative to ensure the entitlements of the ex-staff are paid.
“A dream never expected to come true has finally come true. We have been informed that these payments will be made through promissory notes and bond issuance, which we are excited about. It is against this backdrop your excellency that, we are pleading with you and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to make every effort to use one of the suggestions to close the gap in exchange rates.
“Find a way of compensating our clients and colleagues from the Franc CFA zone as a result of the difference in exchange rates, which is going to drastically reduce other packages.”
This is as a sequel to an earlier letter written by the High Commissioner of Cameroon to the Minister of Finance dated March 8, 2018, with reference M/L. No. 1199/LBCCN/PS/17 of 21/0717 with subject: ‘Exchange rate considerations for payment of final dues owed ex-Cameroonian staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited.”
The High Commissioner appealed to the minister to consider the prevailing exchange rate of the dollar and the rate before the wrapping up of the airline to calculate the final severance entitlements of the former personnel.
The petition to the Minister of Finance and Accountant General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, routed through the High Commissioner of Cameroon to Nigeria, dated June 12, 2018 and made available to this newspaper, said in the year 2005/2006, the former liquidators of the defunct carrier used the SS0FCFA=$1 and N132=$1 to calculate the entitlements of the staff from the Franc FCA zone based on the figure submitted by their home governments.
The counsel, who is representing Eno Mao, Emejule (Gabon); Ndoke Hannah/Bareng John (Cameroon); Afandoni Raymond (Benin); Mensah Tetey/Mensah Fortey (Togo), disclosed that the Nigerian naira has not experienced any drastic change in exchange rates up to 2009 when the liquidators finally handed the liquidation of Nigeria Airways Limited to the Federal Government of Nigeria through an inter-ministerial committee, which included representatives from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the liquidators and Nigeria Airways Limited.
avia
According to him, the Nigerian naira has very much depreciated in the year after 2009 and now exchanges officially at N305.50k to $1, adding that at Bureau de Change, it exchanges for N406 to $1.
His words: “Our clients and colleagues will be losing N174.00 for every dollar, representing a 120 per cent loss in their entitlements.”
Since President Muhammadu Buhari approved N45 billion severance payment for ex-workers of Nigeria Airways, not much has been done to match the promise with action.
Approval was announced by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on September 20, 2017, for immediate payment of N45 billion.
The ex-workers further stated that efforts by the president seems to have been thwarted by some members of the regime because of bureaucracy, corruption, greed and selfish interest, thereby tarnishing the image of Nigeria
“We were very glad when it was reported in the media on November 8, 2017 when the minister of state for aviation announced that the payments will be in December and serve as a Christmas gift to the workers.”
It would be recalled that over 1500 former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways are uncertain and confused over their fate and wondered what is delaying the disbursement of the funds. The ex-workers were served the airline and the country with dedication and commitment. Many of them are dying daily waiting for their final entitlements 13 years after the airline was liquidated.
Google+