Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has given the assurance that on February 16, President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to the well being and welfare of Nigerians will earn him re-election.
The Minister stated this on Friday in Lagos at a rally organised by the ex-workers and pensioners of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
The group organised the rally to show appreciation to the President for the payment of their pension arrears and other benefits after 14 years of waiting.
The over 5,000 Nigeria Airways workers, who said they had been “abandoned, humiliated and frustrated by previous administrations”, undertook a solidarity procession in Ikeja to drum support for Buhari.
Addressing the gathering, the minister said that Buhari put an end to the 14-year wait and suffering of the 5,996 former workers of the defunct national career.
“It is noteworthy that since the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, successive Administrations have failed to settle the ex-staffers, leading to untold suffering and loss of human dignity by the affected people.
“It is not just the former staffers of Nigeria Airways who have benefitted from the people-oriented policy of this Administration.
“Former Biafran Policemen, former workers of the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, and former NITEL workers have also seen their years of suffering and neglect come to an end.
“For the more than 800 deceased ex staffers of Nigeria Airways, their next of kin will also receive the entitlements due to them,” he said.
The minister further listed some of the Social Investment Programme of the Administration that would guarantee re-election of the President.
He said the Conditional Cash Transfer had benefitted 300,000 families while 9.3 million children were being fed daily under the home grown school feeding programme.
The minister said the N-Power had employed 5000 graduates and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme/Tradermoni had covered 1.2 million people.
Mohammed congratulated the former workers and thanked God for keeping them to reap the rewards of their labour.
He also thanked them for the event which he said was a show of appreciation to the President for what he had done.
Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, corroborated Mohammed that the President would never stand for injustice to the people.
Sirika, who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, Capt. Fola Akinkuoyu, assured the ex-workers of the payment of their balance.
The leader of the ex-workers, Mr Olanrewaju Animasahun, said they organised the solidarity rally to show appreciation to the President and mobilise support for his Next Level Agenda.
He said for 14 years, they had been on the struggle, some of them had died while many of them were humiliated and disgraced over what was their right.
Animasahun said contrary to what some people might insinuate, they were not mobilised to stage the rally, but the members made voluntary donations to sponsor the event.
He said they were canvassing for the re-election of the Buhari because he is a credible man who makes promise and fulfills as well as a man of integrity who will never condone corruption.
