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Tears, curses as corpse collects pension

Posted by Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja on 2008/10/24 | Views: 608 |

Tears, curses as corpse collects pension


THE dead body of a 70-year-old man, identified as Igiebor Michael Okhokpa Okhokpawoyi, had to be conveyed to the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, yesterday before his pensions could be paid by the staff of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

THE dead body of a 70-year-old man, identified as Igiebor Michael Okhokpa Okhokpawoyi, had to be conveyed to the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, yesterday before his pensions could be paid by the staff of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Okhopkawoyi worked last at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), before retiring.

The staff of the Accountant General's office began the payment of the pensions of retired NYSC staff on Saturday at the venue.

The Nigerian Compass learnt that the ailing Okhokpawoyi's son, who was also his next of kin, had sought to collect the pension on behalf of his father with the information that the retiree was too weak to travel on account of age from his Benin City, Edo State base, but was ordered to bring the father in person.

The son therefore had to return to Benin City, to bring the father to Abuja.

On getting to Wuse district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), about five kilometres to the payment venue, Okhokpawoyi collapsed and died in the vehicle that conveyed him and the son. In anger, the son took the dead body to the venue.

When the son arrived at the ICC with the dead body, the atmosphere became charged with people raining curses on the officials and the policy that had no regard for senior citizens. Policemen had to be brought in to control the situation.

The pension was later paid by the team from the Accountant-General's office on seeing the dead body.No member of the team was however willing to comment on the incident.

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/news.php?extend.4726

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