Posted by TONY AILEMEN, Yola on
AGONY of Nigeria's senior citizens seeking payment of their pensions again came to the fore when 80-year-old pensioner, Mallam Hassan Baibako, on a queue to be screened to collect arrears of the stipend, slumped and died yesterday in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
AGONY of Nigeria's senior citizens seeking payment of their pensions again came to the fore when 80-year-old pensioner, Mallam Hassan Baibako, on a queue to be screened to collect arrears of the stipend, slumped and died yesterday in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
The development threw the pensioners community in the state into panic and mourning.
Mallam Baibako, a retired senior messenger with the state Ministry of Lands and Survey, was being rushed to hospital by his kinsmen, when his knees could no longer carry him, but died on the way to hospital.
Speaking on the plight of pensioners in the state, state secretary of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Mr Ibrahim Kawu, said Mallam Baibako was owed eight months pension allowance prior to his death.
He said several of their members had died awaiting screening for the payment of their pension.
The screening is part of the requirements for payment of the Federal Government bit of the pensions.
Mr Isa Mubi, who said he worked with Baibako, said the deceased was sick but was forced to appear at the venue following insistence on physical presence for screening by pension officials.
According to him, since the transfer of their pensions from the state to the Federal Government, many pensioners have either had their names omitted or their allowance short paid.
"As you can see, several of our members who are sick were forced to come here. Many cannot even stand on their feet," he told Daily Champion.
He stated that unlike the Federal Government Pension, that of the state has been coming to them regularly.
When Daily Champion visited the screening venue several pensioners were seen on queue arranged according to their local governments.
Efforts to get the governments position on the death proved abortive as the Head of the Federal Government delegation, Madam Comfort Danladi, declined comments.
"I am not here to take care of patients, talking to journalists is not part of my schedule," she stated.