WorldStage– The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and his predecessor, Femi Fani-Kayode, have engaged in a public war of words over the historical liquidation of Nigeria Airways and the delayed payment of its former workers.
The public clash, which played out across social media platforms, was triggered by Keyamo’s sharp criticism of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
The row began on Wednesday when Keyamo took to his official X account to label Atiku’s recent comments on Nigeria’s economic hardships as “hypocrisy at its peak.” Keyamo accused the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, in which Atiku served as vice-president, of suddenly liquidating Nigeria Airways in September 2004.
He asserted that the abrupt closure threw thousands of citizens out of work and left them without their hard-earned pensions and gratuities for over two decades.
Highlighting the current administration’s efforts, Keyamo announced that President Bola Tinubu had finally approved and released ₦36 billion to settle these lingering terminal benefits, with affected ex-workers already receiving payment alerts.
However, Fani-Kayode, who served as aviation minister under Obasanjo in 2006, swiftly intercepted the narrative.
While commending Keyamo for paying the pensions, Fani-Kayode strongly rejected the allegation that the Obasanjo government orchestrated the airline’s downfall.
Fani-Kayode revealed that as aviation minister in 2006, he presented a memo to the Federal Executive Council to pay the ex-workers, which faced stiff internal opposition from cabinet members who felt former management teams caused the collapse.
While defending the collective decisions of the administration, Fani-Kayode commended Keyamo and President Tinubu for finally clearing the remaining pension backlogs.
He argued that the “mess” was established long before Obasanjo took the helm as a civilian leader in 1999.
To bolster his defense, Fani-Kayode presented historical statistics, noting that when Obasanjo left office as a military Head of State in 1979, Nigeria Airways boasted a robust fleet of 32 functional aircraft, an experienced crew, and sound management.
By the time Obasanjo returned to power twenty years later, systematic corruption and gross mismanagement by successive military-era boards had decimated the carrier, leaving behind just one unserviceable plane and a mountain of debt.
Fani-Kayode therefore maintained that the 2004 liquidation was an inevitable decision for an airline that was already virtually defunct.
The high-profile dispute has reignited national debates regarding accountability and historical revisionism within Nigeria’s aviation industry.
Observers note that while the payment of the ₦36 billion pension backlog brings vital relief to aging aviation veterans, the political battle over who to blame for collapsing the former national giant remains heavily contested.
