Aviation pension row: NAMA refutes  claims of 1,000 unpaid retirees

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has disputed a recent report which claimed that over 1,000 of its retirees are seeking federal government intervention over unpaid pensions.

The airspace agency labeled the publication “misleading” and “fundamentally detached from verifiable realities,” demanding an immediate public retraction and an unequivocal apology.

The media report, titled “Unpaid Pension: Over 1,000 NAMA Retirees Seek FG’s Intervention,” created a narrative suggesting that the strategic aviation agency is unconcerned or unwilling to meet its financial obligations to its former workforce.

In a statement issued by Abdullahi Musa, NAMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, the agency maintained that retiree welfare has remained a frontline priority under the leadership of its Managing Director, Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar.

Detailing its ongoing efforts to harmonize senior citizens’ welfare, NAMA revealed that management recently commissioned and concluded a comprehensive, multi-year actuarial assessment.

This technical exercise was specifically designed to determine accurate pension adjustments for the years 2007, 2010, 2019, and 2024. The final actuarial report has been successfully processed and is currently being implemented through established internal administrative channels.

NAMA further noted that it has consistently prioritized open communication with organized retiree bodies rather than shutting them out. At a recent joint consultation meeting held on June 10, 2026—exactly one week before the controversial newspaper publication—both NAMA management and retiree representatives mutually agreed to seek formal clarity from the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) regarding specific technical issues that require regulatory interpretation.

“In keeping with its culture of transparency and due process, NAMA immediately forwarded the necessary correspondence to PENCOM and is currently awaiting an official response,” Musa stated. “Such proactive measures hardly reflect the conduct of an institution accused of neglecting its pensioners.”

Addressing the specific allegation that more than a thousand former staffers have been left stranded without pay, NAMA provided a definitive breakdown of its compliance records under the Pension Reform Act.

The agency clarified that all accrued pension rights belonging to officers who legally migrated from the old Defined Benefit Scheme over to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) back in June 2004 have been completely and fully settled.

“These funds were transferred directly into the respective Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) of the affected employees,” the public affairs director explained.

“These individuals continue to receive their monthly benefits through their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and certified annuity providers. The assertion that over one thousand retirees remain unpaid is therefore completely unsupported by the facts available to the agency.”