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By Chinelo Obogo
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has dismissed a report claiming that more than 1,000 of its retirees are owed unpaid pensions, describing the publication as ‘misleading and detached from the facts of how the agency administers retiree benefits.’
In a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, NAMA said the article failed to verify its claims and ignored key legal and administrative context, creating the false impression that the agency was unwilling to meet its obligations to former staff.
According to the statement, retiree welfare has been a central priority of the agency since the current Managing Director, Farouk Umar, and his management team took office. As evidence, NAMA pointed to a comprehensive actuarial assessment it commissioned to determine pension adjustments covering the years 2007, 2010, 2019 and 2024. That exercise, the agency said, has since been concluded and is now being implemented through established administrative channels, a record it argues is inconsistent with accusations of neglect.
NAMA also said it has kept communication open with retiree representatives through regular consultations. At a meeting held on June 10, 2026, management and retiree representatives reportedly agreed jointly that certain technical issues required regulatory clarification from the National Pension Commission (PENCOM). The agency said it has already forwarded the relevant correspondence to PENCOM and is awaiting an official response, which it cited as proof of its commitment to transparency and due process.
On the specific question of unpaid pensions, NAMA said accrued rights belonging to officers who transitioned from the Defined Benefit Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme in June 2004 have been fully settled in line with the Pension Reform Act. Those funds, the agency said, were transferred directly into the affected employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts, and the retirees in question continue to receive monthly benefits through their Pension Fund Administrators and annuity providers. On this basis, NAMA maintains that the claim of over 1,000 unpaid retirees is not supported by records available to the agency.
The agency warned that the report risks causing unnecessary anxiety among retirees, damaging institutional credibility, and undermining ongoing efforts to resolve pension matters constructively. It is demanding an immediate retraction from the newspaper, along with a prominent public apology for what it described as the dissemination of misleading information about a “law-abiding institution.”
The statement read: “Since assumption of office by the current Managing Director, Engr Farouk Ahmed Umar and management team, retiree welfare has remained a major priority. In a clear demonstration of this commitment, the agency commissioned a comprehensive actuarial assessment to determine pension adjustments for the years 2007, 2010, 2019, and 2024. The exercise has been successfully concluded, and the report is currently being implemented through established administrative processes. Such proactive measures hardly reflect the conduct of an institution accused of neglecting its pensioners.Furthermore, NAMA has consistently maintained open channels of communication with retiree representatives through regular consultations and stakeholder engagements. At the most recent meeting held on June 10, 2026, both management and retiree representatives jointly agreed that clarification should be sought from the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) regarding certain technical issues requiring regulatory interpretation.
“In keeping with its culture of transparency and due process, NAMA immediately forwarded the necessary correspondence to PENCOM and is awaiting an official response.It is equally important to state that accrued pension rights relating to officers who migrated from the Defined Benefit Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme in June 2004 have been fully settled in accordance with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act. These funds were transferred directly into the respective Retirement Savings Accounts of affected employees, who continue to receive their monthly benefits through their Pension Fund Administrators and annuity providers. The assertion that over one thousand retirees remain unpaid is therefore not supported by the facts available to the agency.
“Beyond the inaccuracies contained in the publication, the broader implication of such reporting is that it has the potential to create unnecessary anxiety among retirees, damage institutional credibility, and undermine ongoing efforts aimed at constructive resolution of pension-related matters. In view of these facts, NAMA is justified in demanding an immediate and unequivocal retraction of the said publication, together with a prominent public apology from the management of the Newspaper for disseminating misleading information capable of misleading the public and tarnishing the reputation of a law-abiding institution. The newspaper owes both NAMA and the general public a duty to correct the record.”
