"Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members ; the last, the least, the littlest."Cardinal Roger MahonyRemember the story of Pa Olusa Ayodele? The pensioner who died whilst standing for hours in a queue for his pension payment.
The pension verification exercise and collection process, showed the insensitivity of the government to the welfare of retirees and the need for a more humane way of serving this vulnerable category of Nigerians.
Pa Ayodele had travelled all the way from Akunnu-Akoko to Akure for the verification process. Witnesses reportedly said medical care was not immediately made available to the man when he collapsed, and his corpse was left on the ground for about two hours before it was taken to the mortuary.
This is not only insensitive, its wicked, and now I believe that the bad treatment, the frustration and indignity caused was a very deliberate attempt at prolonging the suffering of beneficiaries and a very direct threat to the lives of the pensioners.
We now see from the vast luxuries acquired from the representatives of these pension schemes that this may have been the plan all the while, but could it really have been? could they really be that wicked? enriching themselves at the expense of innocent human lives?
I always wondered why the disabled, the sick and the very old don't have their pensions brought to their doorsteps, like, say....... a NEPA bill. Why do people, like 80 year old Pa Ayodele make the journey from Akunnu-Akoko to Akure to receive their entitlement for serving their country?
The treatment of the elderly in Nigeria has shown how unappreciated they are. Struggling on poverty incomes is a common reality for them. This is a serious indictment on Nigeria as a Nation.
The drama and controversy emerging everyday from the probe of the Pension Task Team is just heart breaking. Senate President David Mark made his feelings very clear when he said that the administrators took pleasure in "living on blood money" which was unfortunate and he publicly cursed the various custodians of pension funds in the country for enriching themselves with the legitimate entitlements of retirees.
Mark went on to add, "Its evident that those saddled with the responsibility of managing pension funds are amongst the richest in the country.... These people can never live in peace because the prayers of the old men and women who have diligently served the country will hunt them and their children's children, because it is blood money"
It has been uncovered that no one has been spared even the Police and Military pension offices have been effected,
Monumental fraudulent deals in the countries pension administration system has been uncovered for example in the office of The Head of Service of the Federation (OHOF) where hundreds of billions of Naira have been stolen. It is astonishing ! Instead of these officials reducing the plight of the elderly in Nigeria they have added to it.
We have failed the elders. Society has not done enough to protect them? Can we truly say we have done our best for the people that have given the best of their youths to the nation? is allowing them stand in the sun for hours to collect their entitlement the definition of fairness?
I think not.
Take care of the old person you are going to become
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