THERE are strong indications that about 3000 retirees of the Nigerian Postal service have been pushed to the wall by some government agencies, following the death of its 150 members, who in the last four years, have been praying and shuttling NIPOST offices across the country, hoping to be paid their accumulated entitlements.

Speaking with our reporter in Lagos on Thursday, Chief Braimah Oboirien, national chairman of National Union of NIPOST Retirees said that members of the union are seeking the urgent intervention of the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan and the Accountant-General of the Federation for the payment of their entitlements.

Oboirien explained that under the monetisation policy, the management of the government agency on November 16, 2009 forwarded a comprehensive list of retirees for payment to the office of the accountant-general. Regrettably however, 50 percent of the monetisation was paid to only 20 percent of the retirees, while 80percent have been left to suffer.

That suffering has resulted in the avoidable death of 150 retirees of NIPOST in the last four years, while our checks further revealed that those who are still alive are being owed 45 months arrears of pension, even as the management of the government postal agency has bluntly refused to place the retirees on its monthly pension lists.

Our reporter gathered from sources at the budget office in Abuja that on August 3, 2009, the director-general, budget office of the federal ministry of finance ordered that workers severed in 2006 by the management of NIPOST should be placed on monthly pension. This directive was not carried out.

However, Michael Ajayi, a member of the board of trustee of the union and Atitebi Oladapo, the executive of the retiree in separate interviews told our reporter that we are against the premature retirement, but are only fighting for our entitlement. So, we are appealing to the acting president to take order the civil service commission to take over the Nipost pension operations because we lost confidence in Nipost pension board, we want the President to handover the pension to Civil Service Commission which we believe is capable of taking care of our pension.

The union chairman also disclosed that millions of naira is being withheld by NIPOST thereby denying the retirees access to their cooperative thrift national housing fund, training allowances and gratuity, among others.

Kano state chapter chairman of the union, Ajoboye Sulaiman in his submission said that out of a total of 73 retirees in the state, five have so far died, while the rest of us are living in tatters. The same views were expressed by Francis Orebayo his counterpart from Edo state, who, lamented that in the last four years, the union has lost 10 out of the 50 retirees in the state.

Going by the statement of the Oyo state chapter chairman, Mosheed Olatunbosun, seven members have so far died from the 198 membership strength in the state. But, the national chairman is optimistic that since the present regime believes in due process, it is likely that they could be paid their entitlements, since pensioners from other government parastatals have been paid

He however said that since the 7-day ultimatum given by his retirees union to the management expired on Thursday, February, 25, 2010, the more than 3000 NIPOST retirees nationwide will meet soon to plan the next line of action .