Pensioner, 60, slumps as others protest non-payment of arrears, death of 600 colleagues

A 60-year-old pensioner slumped at the protest ground in Obalende, Lagos State on Tuesday.
He and hundreds of other pensioners of the Nigeria Postal Service besieged the NIPOST office, Obalende, Lagos State, protesting the non-payment of 72 months arrears and death of over 600 colleagues, with 105 in hospitals suffering from stroke.
The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Lagos State chapter, Abayomi Akinture Elijah, said they were also protesting the death of another of their colleague, Augustine Railway, who died in a vehicle accident as they were driving towards Abuja to have a confab with President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to them, an agreement was reached during the confab that they would be paid by February 2013, but Federal Government allegedly reneged on the agreement and had not paid till date.
Elijah’s words: “The agreement is that we would be paid by February, but they failed to fulfil the promise.
“That is why we are back here to protest.
“WWe’re ready to die here.”
Olusola Omisore, Vice Chairman Lagos State chapter of the NUP, said: “Since 2006, we’ve lost over 600 pensioners, 105 are on sick beds, having stroke.
“They owe us arrears of 72 months.
“We heard some of them who are supposed to pay us our money, are using our money to prepare for political campaigns in their states.
“Many of us are homeless.
“We don’t even have money to buy drugs.
“Without seeing our alerts, we won’t leave here and we won’t stop this protest.”