Keyamo Slams Atiku, Says Tinubu Is Paying ₦36bn to Settle Nigeria Airways Workers’ Claims

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of hypocrisy, claiming that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is settling outstanding entitlements owed to former Nigeria Airways workers following the airline’s liquidation.

Keyamo made the allegations in a post on X on Wednesday while responding to Atiku’s criticism of the Tinubu administration over the rising cost of living. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had complained that life had become more expensive and pledged to make it affordable again.

Restricting his response to the aviation sector, Keyamo alleged that Nigeria Airways was liquidated in September 2004, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when Atiku served as vice-president. He said the decision left thousands of workers without jobs and caused prolonged hardship for affected families.

The minister further alleged that the former workers were not paid their pensions and gratuities, which he said amounted to billions of naira. He argued that many retirees had endured years of frustration while waiting for their outstanding entitlements.

Keyamo claimed that Tinubu had approved and released ₦36 billion more than a month earlier to settle the outstanding payments. He added that some former workers had begun receiving payment notifications and that their union had presented an award to the President in recognition of the intervention.

The aviation minister used the development to question Atiku’s criticism of the current administration, arguing that the former vice-president should also account for the record of the government he served. However, the payment figures and other claims in Keyamo’s post were not independently verified in the statement provided.

Keyamo also accused Atiku of taking credit for the achievements of the Obasanjo administration when convenient while distancing himself from its decisions at other times. He described the former vice-president’s position as inconsistent and said he intended to challenge what he considered misleading claims about Atiku’s political record.

The exchange comes amid heightened political debate over economic hardship, government performance and the 2027 elections. While Atiku has criticised the rising cost of living, Keyamo has sought to defend Tinubu’s record by highlighting what he described as efforts to address longstanding obligations to former Nigeria Airways employees.