Retirees of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) have threatened to embark on a protest if the agency fails to pay outstanding pension increases and arrears by the end of October.
The Contributory Pensioners Union of Nigeria (CPUN) said ₦2.5 billion had been released in April 2026 for the payment of the increases and arrears, but the affected pensioners were yet to receive their outstanding entitlements.
The NAMA branch of the union said it had rejected a meeting proposed by the agency for next Tuesday, insisting that management should settle the arrears before the end of the month.
In a message to pensioners, the branch secretary, Wasiu Lawal, said NAMA had responded to the union’s planned industrial action with a letter dated 19 October, which he alleged was intended to mislead retirees.
According to Lawal, the letter was addressed to NAMA contributory pension scheme retirees rather than CPUN, which he described as the recognised organisation representing the affected pensioners.
“The purported letter was rejected,” he said.
Lawal accused NAMA management of failing to communicate with the union since a meeting held on 10 June 2026, while continuing to engage with an elders’ forum.
“NAMA management has deliberately failed to respond or communicate with the union since the 10 June 2026 meeting, but has been meeting with the elders’ forum and deceiving the gullible retirees as confessed in the letter,” he alleged.
He contrasted the situation of the retirees with that of serving and contract staff, whom he said were receiving their salaries and other payments.
“As we speak, NAMA staff and contract staff are collecting two months’ salary, 13th month, and the October salary, while we have nothing to collect except the peanuts we have been collecting for over 10 years of retirement, which have no increments,” he said.
Lawal questioned what had happened to the ₦2.5 billion reportedly released for the pensioners in April, noting that almost six months had passed without payment.
“What happened to the ₦2.5 billion that was released on our behalf in April 2026, about six months ago?” he queried.
In a demand letter addressed to NAMA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CPUN urged the agency to provide a clear and definite timetable for implementing the outstanding pension increases and paying the arrears.
The union also called on management to handle the matter urgently, citing the advanced age, financial circumstances and welfare of the affected retirees.
The letter, signed by the branch chairman, Stephen Olopha, and Lawal, stated that the outstanding pension adjustments and arrears related to entitlements that had remained unpaid for more than two decades.
“Many of the affected pensioners are now over 70 years of age, while some have been retired since 2008 or earlier. A significant number are elderly, financially vulnerable and dependent on their pension income to meet basic necessities, including food, accommodation, medical treatment and other essential family obligations,” the letter stated.
It added that some retirees had died while waiting for the benefits and pension adjustments due to them.
“It is therefore deeply distressing that, after waiting for more than 20 years, these elderly pensioners should continue to face uncertainty over payments that have already been subjected to the relevant computation process,” the union said.
CPUN maintained that further delays were unacceptable, particularly as the pensioners had waited for more than two decades and the relevant calculations had already been submitted to the agency.
The union urged NAMA to resolve the matter before the end of October, warning that failure to meet its demands could lead to protest action.
