Normally, after citizens have served their country meritoriously for pensionable number of years, the ideal thing is to retire into a period of rest when they are supposed to be enjoying the fruits of their labour. But in Nigeria, this is hardly ever the case.
That is why hundreds of civil servants who retired from the federal service in Ogun State, on Tuesday, took to major streets, protesting non-payment of their pensions and gratuities for several years. The protesters, aged between 65 and 95 years old, were armed with placards, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to come to their rescue.
Their spokesperson, Mr Made Mustapha, alleged that most of the members had not received any gratuity and pension while others were being underpaid. According to him, “I want to passionately appeal to the president to please help us. We know that he may not be aware of our plight; that is why we are sending you to him… Some of us depend on our children from Lagos to send cooked soup and stew to us so that we may not die of hunger. Our situation is that terrible,” he said.
Another pensioner, Mrs Folake Taiwo, who claimed to have retired since 1996, alleged that the government had stopped payment of her pension since 2000. She says “I could hardly feed my children, not to talk of taking care of myself, as a widow. Life has been so difficult for me. Please, help us to beg our president,” she pleaded.
Culled from the Tribune
