Pensioners on warpath: We’re ready to die!

In December 2012, a staggering number of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NIPOST, had grounded business activities in different post offices across the nation. Back then they were demanding for the payment of their arrears. They had only sheathed their swords after the Federal Government promised to look into their grievances and pay them their entitlement.
But now, they are back on the war path again.
This time however, they are seething with anger, claiming that they were tricked by the Federal Government into abandoning the protest last Year, believing that their prayers had been answered and that their money would be paid.
According to them, it was only after they had left the battle field that it dawned on them that the battle had not been won after all. Presenting a document, the pensioners explained that the document was a memorandum of understanding between the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NIPOST and NIPOST management on January, 22, 2013.
Part of the agreement reached states thus: “NIPOST management to pay December, 2012 pension to its Pensioners verified in March, 2011 and three months pension to pensioners verified in December, 2011, latest by Wednesday 22 January, 2013. Post Offices would be opened nationwide based on the assurance given by the Postmaster-General/CEO that payment would be made tomorrow, 23, January, 2013 and the industrial action suspended till further notice. All outstanding and other entitlements to be paid not later than February 2013 as promised by the Accountant-General’s office during the stakeholders’ meeting of January, 15, 2013 after approval of the budget.”
After the round table confab and drawn up agreements, the pensioners said they still had not been paid.  They were also very bitter that despite the fact that the money had not been paid, Federal Government had allegedly gone to publish in some national dailies that the pensioners had been paid. This made some of their creditors to become aggressive, calling them liars and demanding immediate payment.
The chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Abayomi Akinture Elijah, explained that his landlady gave him a quit notice after she read in the papers that he had been paid his arrears.He said: “They have not paid us, yet they went to publish in some papers they had paid us! My landlady read it and felt I had been lying to her. She immediately gave me a quit notice.
What am I supposed to do now?
Where will I sleep?”
The renewed battle started June 18.
As early as 6am on June 18, the pensioners thronged to Post office, Obalende branch. They chanted solidarity songs until they were almost hoarse. They left the place at about 7:30pm.
On June 19, they were also there. It was not long after they started chanting their solidarity songs that the heavens opened. It rained heavily. The old men and women scampered into different shades, shying away from the rains and waiting for it to abate.
As soon as the rain stopped, they were back to the post office gate, armed with their placards and chanting songs again. Barely 45 minutes after they were back in business, one of them suddenly slumped on the wet ground.
Others ran in different directions, searching for sachets water. They tore several sachets opened and emptied the lot on the head of the man, later identified as Pa Fagbeolu, 60 years.
The adroitness with which Fagbeolu’s situation was handled showed that, that was not the first time one of the pensioners would be collapsing while at protest ground. Elijah, who elected to speak on behalf of the crowd, said: “We’ve started this protest since yesterday. We had a rough time with the police but when they realised that we were ready to die, they bowed to us.
“Last year December 23, we started this journey. And now we are here again. Officers from the State Secret Service (SS) had been here to interview us. They even assisted us to make photocopies of the agreement document between us and Federal government, because we don’t have money to make photocopies for them.
“The agreement is that we would be paid by February, but they failed to keep the promise! That’s the reason we’re back here. We’re ready to bit and bite to the bone! What we’re doing here today is happening nationwide. Last April we went to Abuja and we had accident on our way there to have a meeting with President Good Luck Jonathan.
“We lost one of our members. Mr. Augustine Railway. He died along Ikire road. Our bus somersaulted four times and eventually we lost Augustine. And it’s all because of this struggle.”
Mrs. Olusola Omisore, vice chairman, Lagos chapter, said: “Since 2006, we’ve lost over 600 pensioners. 105 are on sick beds, suffering from stroke. Federal Government owes us arrears of 72 months. We heard some of the persons 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. Our children have been sent out of schools. We don’t even have money to buy drugs! Without seeing our bank alerts this time, we won’t leave here and we won’t stop this protest!”
Even though the numbers of the protesters appeared to be much, Elijah revealed that many more were still on their way, heading towards Obalende, adding: “ They’re late getting here because they don’t have money for transport and are trekking down to this place!