Another former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways in Kano has died of ill-health after he was unable to raise money for his medical treatment.
The Federal Government has so far stalled its expected payment of N45 billion as severance package to the ex-staff of Nigeria’s former national carrier.
The deceased, Alhaji Bello Da’U, was Company Secretary and Legal Advisor to the airline.
It was gathered that he died in a hospital in Kano on July 28, 2018, thus bringing the total number of deaths recorded among the former staff of the airline to 845 since the carrier was liquidated in 2004.
At liquidation 14 years ago, the total number of members of staff of the airline stood at 6,731, but the number has since plunged to 5,886 due to frequent deaths recorded among the former staff of the airline.
According to findings, majority of the deceased died as a result of their inability to procure even N2000 drugs while some of them became destitute while waiting for the Federal Government to pay their severance packages as promised on liquidation.
A family source to the deceased told our correspondent over the weekend that Da’U was only sick for a few days and taken to the hospital, but that the family members could not raise his medical bill, and that led to his abandonment and eventual death in the hospital.
The news of his death was broken to Da’U’s ex-colleagues by his son, Bashir Bello Da’U.
A source close to the family also told our correspondent that Da’U before his death had hoped to collect his severance benefits when the government promised that the sum would be paid before the end of 2017, but the failure of the government to fulfil its earlier promise may have led to his ailment and eventual death.
Since the planned payment was announced and approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) September, last year, no fewer than 200 staff of the former national carrier have passed on.
The Federal Government at FEC had approval the sum of N45 billion to be paid to the total workers before the close of 2017. The approved sum was, however, a far cry from the initial approval of N78 billion for the same staff.
Recent Deaths Of Former Workers
It would be recalled that Engr. Godwin Jibodu, the Chairman of Elders Forum, Nigeria Airways, recently mentioned Capt. Asuquo, Capt. Akintaju, Capt. Ohioma, Capt. Akinyosade, Engr. KC Amah, and Mr Onyebuchi Anunobi, Felix Agbabuwa and Engr. Ray Sunmonu who all died between 2017 and 2018.
According to Jibodu, those down with ailments and strokes are Engr. Bose Oladamiye, Mrs. Adedayo Awoyinka, Engr. T Belgam and Engr. Ebenezer Akinbode, among others.
25 Years’ Benefits To Foreign Ex-Staff
It would be recalled that immediately after the liquidation of the carrier in 2004, the Federal Government had paid 25 years severance benefits to foreign workers of the airline, in accordance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) regulation, while their Nigerian counterparts only received five years’ benefits.
The five years’ severance packages were paid by President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2008, with a promise to pay the remaining 20 years’ benefits before 2011.
But the death of Yar’Adua made the promise unfulfilled. His successor, former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly refused to continue with the promise of Yar’Adua when he took over about a year later despite being a member of Yar’Adua’s government as vice president.
Throughout his tenure as president, Jonathan refused to pay the remaining 20 years’ benefits to the former workers as agreed with the staff by his former boss.
However, Engr. Lookman Animashaun, the immediate Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Med-View Airline and one of the affected staff, confirmed that the severance packages would be paid before the end of August.
He said, “The money should be paid before the end of August. Whatever they are doing should be rounded off. The payment should commence in the next few weeks.
“With the approval, I want to believe that the ex-workers should be paid their severance packages. The only thing they need to do is to verify who should get what.”
Besides Capt. Ibrahim Yunusa, another staff of the former airline, said the government had shown sincerity of purpose with the planned payment.
He, however, decried the fact that a lot of staff of the defunct airline had died since the airline was liquidated, adding that 200 of them had died in the past one year.
“Now that it has gone through the National Assembly and approved, I believe this time around, it is going to work even though the delay has caused us a lot of hardships.
“As I am talking to you now, a lot of our people are in different hospitals across the country. Between the time of approval and now, over 200 of our people have passed on. We are all suffering.”
INDEPENDENT. NG
