Retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) have rejected the agency’s repeated claims that it owes them no outstanding pension benefits, insisting that several entitlements remain unpaid.
Last month, NAMA dismissed allegations that it owed pension benefits to more than 1,000 retirees, maintaining that it remained committed to the welfare of its former employees and was seeking clarification from the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) on outstanding pension-related issues.
However, the retirees, under the umbrella of the Airspace Management Pensioners Association of Nigeria (AMPAN), said the agency’s position did not reflect the realities facing many affected pensioners.
In a statement made available to Breezy News, AMPAN stressed that the retirees involved in the dispute are not ordinary CPS pensioners but transitional retirees who served under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2004.
The association clarified that it had never alleged that NAMA failed to pay accrued pension rights.
“The bone of agitation is that NAMA has not implemented and paid the retirees their pension increases as approved by the Federal Government since 2007, which the agency has equally admitted in its rebuttal,” the statement said.
AMPAN also faulted the methodology used by the actuary engaged by the agency, describing the computation process as lacking transparency and therefore unacceptable.
“Moreover, the refusal of the agency to continue the ₦32,000 per month pension increase consequential, as approved by the government, is a violation of the Constitution,” the association added.
According to the retirees, many of them had already completed between 10 and 15 years of pensionable service before 30 June 2004 and had therefore earned accrued rights under the Defined Benefit Scheme before transitioning to the CPS.
The association cited a PENCOM circular dated 22 March 2012, which stated that employees who transitioned to the Contributory Pension Scheme were deemed to have retired on 30 June 2004 for the purpose of determining their accrued rights.
AMPAN argued that the circular clearly established that while gratuity is a one-off payment, the pension component arising from accrued rights remains subject to periodic reviews after retirement.
“If PENCOM itself has already clarified this position in an official circular issued as far back as 2012, one is compelled to ask: What exactly is still confusing that requires further clarification?” the statement queried.
The retirees maintained that they are entitled to both their accrued rights under the Defined Benefit Scheme and benefits earned under the Contributory Pension Scheme, including all government-approved pension reviews applicable to the DBS component.
Citing Section 173(3) of the 1999 Constitution, AMPAN noted that pensions must be reviewed every five years or whenever salaries are reviewed, whichever comes first.
The association insisted that pension increases approved by the Federal Government from 2007 to date should have been reflected in their accrued DBS entitlements.
It called for a transparent reconciliation process, including the identification of all retirees with accrued rights under the Defined Benefit Scheme, recognition of years served before 30 June 2004, application of all approved pension increases, disclosure of the computation methodology, and publication of payments already made and any outstanding balances.
“Meetings, however important, do not extinguish lawful entitlements. Press statements cannot override constitutional guarantees. Administrative opinions cannot invalidate accrued rights earned through decades of dedicated public service,” the association stated.
The retirees further lamented what they described as glaring disparities in pension payments, claiming that some former staff who served for over two decades receive as little as ₦46,000 monthly, while others earn even less.
“Justice delayed in pension administration is justice denied,” AMPAN said, adding that those who devoted their careers to safeguarding Nigeria’s airspace deserve transparency, dignity and full enjoyment of their lawful pension entitlements.
Responding to the allegations, NAMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr Abdullahi Musa, said claims of unpaid pension benefits lacked the necessary legal and administrative context.
He explained that the agency had commissioned a comprehensive actuarial assessment to determine pension adjustments for 2007, 2010, 2019 and 2024, and that implementation of the report was already underway.
Musa also disclosed that the agency had held regular consultations with retiree representatives and other stakeholders on pension matters.
According to him, both parties agreed during a meeting on 10 June 2026 to seek clarification from PENCOM on certain technical issues requiring regulatory interpretation.
“Following that agreement, NAMA promptly forwarded the necessary correspondence to PENCOM and is currently awaiting an official response,” he said.
The agency further maintained that accrued pension rights for employees who migrated from the Defined Benefit Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme in June 2004 had been fully settled in line with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act.
Meanwhile, the Joint In-House Unions of NAMA also backed the agency’s position, describing claims that more than 1,000 retirees were being denied pension benefits as inaccurate and inconsistent with available records.
The unions stated that NAMA had fulfilled its statutory obligations regarding accrued pension rights, pension remittances and retirement-related benefits and urged stakeholders to allow the ongoing regulatory and administrative processes to run their course.
