ABUJA — Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has strongly criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, attributing the historic liquidation and collapse of the national carrier, Nigeria Airways, to economic policies enacted during his tenure.
Reacting to recent public statements in which the former vice president criticized current national economic policies, Keyamo accused Atiku of administrative hypocrisy, alleging that the Obasanjo-Atiku administration oversaw the systematic liquidation of Nigeria Airways without providing adequate safeguards or timely severance packages for thousands of affected aviation workers.
The minister pointed out that the collapse of the national carrier left thousands of former staff and retirees struggling for decades without their statutory terminal entitlements, leading to severe socio-economic distress for affected families.
Keyamo highlighted that two decades after the carrier’s collapse, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved and released N36 billion to resolve the long-standing severance and pension arrears owed to former Nigeria Airways workers, with beneficiaries actively receiving direct bank alerts.
Emphasizing that the present administration remains committed to resolving legacy debts and restoring public confidence in national aviation infrastructure, Keyamo urged political leaders to maintain historical integrity and factual accuracy when offering public commentaries on national policy and economic history.
