Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reignited the controversy surrounding the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, accusing former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of hypocrisy in his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Keyamo, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, challenged Atiku to account for the legacy of the administration in which he served as vice-president, particularly the fate of former Nigeria Airways workers who were left with unpaid pensions, gratuities and other entitlements following the airline’s liquidation.
The minister said the Tinubu administration had approved and released ₦36 billion to settle outstanding obligations owed to the airline’s former workers, claiming that beneficiaries had begun receiving payment alerts. 
“Twenty-two years later, after many of them have died out of frustration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now clearing the mess you left behind,” Keyamo wrote.
He also claimed that the workers’ union had recently recognised Tinubu over the payment, describing the intervention as an effort to address a longstanding problem that had affected thousands of former employees and their families.
Keyamo’s comments were apparently directed at Atiku’s recent criticism of the Tinubu administration, as the minister sought to shift the political debate towards the record of previous governments.
He accused Atiku of selectively associating himself with the achievements of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration while distancing himself from controversial decisions taken during the same period.
“When it is convenient for you, you claim some credit for the Obasanjo-Atiku government, and when not convenient, you say Obasanjo was in charge and not you as Vice-President,” Keyamo said.
The minister argued that the history of Nigeria Airways should not be overlooked in assessing the performance of successive governments, particularly the impact of the airline’s liquidation on its former employees.
Nigeria Airways, established in 1958 as the country’s national carrier, was eventually liquidated in 2004 after years of financial difficulties, mismanagement and operational challenges. The airline’s collapse left thousands of workers without their full entitlements and became one of the country’s most enduring aviation-sector controversies.
The issue of unpaid benefits has remained a source of concern among former workers, who have repeatedly appealed to successive administrations for settlement of their claims.
Atiku, who remains a leading opposition figure and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has continued to criticise the Tinubu administration over the economy, rising living costs and other national challenges.
Keyamo’s latest intervention has therefore broadened the political exchange, with the minister seeking to counter criticism of the present administration by drawing attention to unresolved issues inherited from previous governments.
The minister’s claims concerning the ₦36 billion disbursement and the extent of payments already made to former Nigeria Airways workers were not independently verified in the statement provided.
The renewed exchange is likely to reopen debate over the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, the treatment of its former workers and the broader question of accountability for decisions taken by successive Nigerian governments.
