Retirees as endangered species

May 28, 2015

SIR: I only heard about the miserable lives or avoidable deaths of many of retirees from government service until I had the first time experience of the last days of my uncle, Samuel Ademola Ojo. He worked as a teacher in many primary schools in Oyo and rose to become a headmaster before he retired in 2011. He was about 60 years old when he retired. By then, he had two children in the university, one in NCE and one in secondary school. He waited for his gratuity for almost five years to no avail. However, his pension was paid skeletally.

Whenever I called him to enquire about his wellbeing, it was always lamentation about government’s inability to pay his gratuity. There is no doubt that somebody with no source of sustenance will be miserable, particularly when one could not provide for the needs of his family. I heard that he later developed hypertension and later a partial stroke. He died on Friday, May 17.

He served his fatherland for a whooping 35years, but corrupt and inhuman system denied him the fruits of his labour! How many retirees have died unsung? With the miserable end of many of our retirees, how can we curb corruption amongst our civil servants? As a matter of fact, Nigeria is still fortunate to find people who still join her civil service; this is because no one will like to work for the nation when one considers the miserable condition and avoidable deaths of many senior but unfortunate citizens.

I appeal to the governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi to please find other means to ameliorate the effect of hard times on our retirees. He has made his marks in Oyo State; I think putting smile on the face of our retirees will enable them to enjoy their old ages and fruits of their labour. A situation where those who have access to the corridors of power find it easy to collect their gratuity while many in my uncle’s shoes, who have nobody, found it difficult to get theirs, years after retirement, is not only inhuman but a crime against humanity. A mechanism ought to be evolved which would make verification, accreditation and payment of gratuity and pension easier and less cumbersome. The agonies they are subjected to during accreditation often led to avoidable deaths. These are senior citizens who should be accorded respect due to their status, but unfortunately Nigeria is a country where Hobbesian state of nature is still in vogue.

 

  • Adewuyi Adegbite

Apake, Ogbomoso.  

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