‘Don’t let us hang ourselves like our colleagues are doing over non payment of our pension arrears’ 

 They all looked haggard. It was clear that some of them hardly had a square meal a day and were probably surviving at the mercy of friends, neighbours and relations. But some among them said they had vowed to keep their dignity, preferring to starve rather than beg for food. And for taking such decision, some of them have paid dearly for it. That was the lot of members of Association of Power Holding Company of Nigerian (PHCN) Pensioners, Alimoso Chapter, Lagos State. They looked dejected and hungry as a result of non payment of their entitlements, which included non payment of their pensions for more than four months, non payment of their gratuities, electricity rebate arrears since 2009, harmonisation and monetisation arrears of 133 per cent of which 33 per cent payment approval was granted since 2013 by the Federal Government.

To protest the non payment of these entitlements, the retirees took to the streets. Among the distraught senior citizens was a blind octogenarian, Comrade Adedoyin Bashiru. He said he was determined to join his comrades to bring their plight to the attention of Akowojo and Egbeda communities and the rest of Lagos State. He was unhappy that he not only spends the stipends he receives as pension on feeding but also on his health. He disclosed that he spends N5,000 monthly to take care of his eyes. The Ondo State indigene who joined government service in 1981 as a worker of the then Electricity Company of Nigeria (ECN), stated that he trekked from his home at Berger area of the state to join his comrades because he had no transport fares.

“It was only by God’s grace that I could come here without being involved in an accident,” Comrade Bashiru said. “I know that an accident can occur anytime; so I always put my identity card in my pocket.”

Comrade Bashiru recalled that he lost his eyes in the course of duty but was neglected and left to carry his cross in the past 40 years. He said it was the accident that led to his compulsory retirement.

“I worked as a security man at Central Store Oshodi. It was while I was at work that I lost of eyes; till today, it remains a total mystery to me how it happened. After the loss, I was forced to retire without compensation or gratuity. I have been catering for my eyes with my pension in the past 40 years” he said.

Another young retiree, who said he was forced out of PHCN was Comrade Seunfunmi Afolake. Life for her has not been a bed of roses, as she says she has been straining to give her children basic education. She recalled that she only worked for 15 years before she was forced to retire from service.

Her words: “I worked between 1985 and 2000 before I was compulsorily retired. Before the incident, I was not issued with any query or reprimand. But just one day in 2000, my name popped up on the list of those slated for retirement. That was the year government embarked on its restructuring exercise.” She said that looked like the end of the road for her, as she was left to deal with giving her children good education and upbringing.