Following the refusal to pay the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Nipost branch Rivers Territory, Port Harcourt their arrears by the management and Accountant General of the federation, the Port Harcourt branch of Nipost has joined others to consolidate the nationwide strike to press home their demand, hence the Port Harcourt Nipost headquarters was locked up on 9th of January, 2013.
Speaking to press men, the chairman of the Union stated that the Nipost offices in Port Harcourt and other states would be open only when their arrears are paid.
In a statement signed by the chairman and secretary of the union, they slated that the union management was invited by the senate fact finding body set up for that purpose and certified on 28th November 2011, and since then their arrears have not been paid them, though promises were made to pay the pensioners their arrears.
Owing to this attitude, the national chairman of the union had called his members to lock up every Nipost offices in the whole federation on the 27th of December, 2012 till all arrears owed the Nipost pensioners are paid. The statement also has it that, the following reasons are the main cause of the Nipost pensioners action of locking up every Nipost offices throughout the federation.
1. Many of their members have been starved to death
2. Many of their members have their families in disarray
3. Many of their members have been ejected from where they lived by their landlords because they could not paid their house rents
4. Children of the Nipost pensioners are no longer in school and this has caused them heartbreak.
5. Nipost management has played enough with ourselves to feed
6. Anybody who does not have money will die and this is total annihilation of Nipost pensioners by Nipost management.
Here in Port Harcourt, the chairman and secretary of the Nipost pensioners, Comrade A. I. Obiyom and Comrade Matthew, together with other pensioners of the union nationwide is calling on the president of the federation, President Goodluck Jonathan to come to their aid before the Nipost pensioners in Nigeria are totally annihilated by Nipost management and the Account General of the federation.
In demonstration to this members of the Nipost Union Rivers State territory branch were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions at the Nipost headquarters on 9th of January, 2013.
Some of the inscriptions are: “Nipost pensioners are the least paid pensioners in Nigeria”, “we are short paid in monthly pension and gratuity” and “it should be worked out by independent body, and paid to us”.
“The minister of communication and the postmaster General should be removed with immediate effect by Mr. President” another word has it that “Nipost board should be dissolved with immediate effect by the president”.
“PMG and Accountant General release our money so that we may not die”. The Newswriter gathered that the Nipost pensioners have vowed to take their destiny in their hands in their bid to make the federal government pay them their arrears as they continue with their demonstration. ####
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
