WORKERS AND PENSIONERS DIE

Today on this blog, we will take a look at deaths across the states in Nigeria, resulting from non-payment of workers' salaries, and pensions, by some state Governors in Nigeria.
The terrible reality of the effect non-payment of workers'  monthly emolument in many states of the federation is biting harder.  
More than 1,300 government employees and retirees have kicked the bucket  as an after effect of starvation, affliction and disappointment, among others.

It has been observed that the  majority of the laborers and the retirees kicked the bucket as a result of their failure to pay for hospital treatment and other family needs.
Not  less than 27 states were unable pay their workers' salaries.
Recent research has it that the biggest number of the deaths were recorded in Osun State.

 Chairman, Forum of 2011/2012 Retirees in Osun State, Mr. Omoniyi Ilesanmi, told one of our reporters on Thursday that 1,130 retirees, who were among individuals affected, had kicked the bucket as a consequence of their failure to get themselves taken care of medically.
He said, "We are owed nine months' benefits now. This is pitiable on the grounds that our members are hungry and a significant number of them are wiped out and have no method for dealing with themselves."

The   Association's  secretary, Mr. Sola Olojede, named the dead as Samuel Taiwo Osewa, Amusa Adesokan, Bolanle Obadare, Senle Sunday, Gabriel Ajayi, E.O Olaniyi and Omodara Idowu.

Others, as indicated by him, are Kosile Kehinde, Osunsanmi D.A, Fasoyin G.A, Facility, Odediran, Mrs. Oluyemisi Adetoye (previous Financial Secretary, Osun State Association of Pensioners), Yemisi Daramola, Moses Olawuni, Adeoye and Kola Orabiyi.

No less than 100 of their members additionally passed on in Kwara State between September, 2015 and June 30, 2016.

The Kwara State Secretary, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Abayomi Afolabi, told journalists that of the 100 dead, nine were recorded in Ilorin West Local Government Area alone.

He named the dead  as Mallam Ibrahim Salmon Anifowose (Admin. Dept.), Mrs. Hajarat Bola (Health Dept.), Ahmed Bakare (Health Dept.); Olarewaju Idowu (Admin. Dept.), Rasheed Warrah (Works Dept.), Nurudeen Ayinla (Agric. Dept), Binta Anafi (Health Dept.), Muritala Sulu (Admin. Dept), and Sulyman Jimba (Works Dept) – all from Ilorin West Local Government Area.

Others from Ilorin South Local Government Area are Sheriff Sule (Admin. Dept), Abdulraham Ayinde (Works Dept.) and Sikirat Amuda (Finance Dept.).

The accompanying laborers kicked the bucket in Ilorin East: Otolorin Kehinde (Works Dept.), Oseni Amuda (Works Dept.), Toyin Ibrahim (Works Dept.), Amuda Dauda (Works Dept.), Jimoh Akaraba (Health Dept.), Rasaq Agunbiade (Finance Dept.), Mr. Yekini Agunbiade and Jimoh Alao (Health Dept.)

Ekiti Local Government Area in Kwara State additionally lost some unpaid workers: Obafemi Abiodun (Treasury Dept), Musebu Lawrence (Treasury Dept), James Afolayan (Works Dept); Tosin Taiwo (Works Dept), Suleiaman Issa (Agric Dept), and Olasehinde Sunday (Health Dept.)
These and others passed away as a result of their inability to fend for themselves, as a result of non payment of their entitlements.

Among them was a 59-year-old guard at the Ansaru-l-Islam Primary School, Ilorin. It was learnt that two days before his demise, the guard, who was called Baba Gani, died of hunger.

A government employee in the state, who gave his name as Mustapha, said that an instructor passed on  as a result of heart failure.

Mustapha said, "A lady set out to get  her December pay in Asa where she was teaching, when she was crushed to death by a business motorcyclist."
Among the six workers who passed on in Ekiti State, one of them, an educator with St. Anne's Catholic Primary School, Isasa, Aramoko Ekiti, Mrs. Emily Odedeji, committed suicide.

An anonymous source said, "Odedeji obtained credit from a bank  She would have  paid the loan from her compensation when paid. In any case, when the January compensation was paid, the bank deducted all the money from her account and she was left with nothing and that may be the motivation behind why she chose to end her life."
The head instructor of St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Mrs. Anthonia Adegoye, affirmed Odedeji's   death.
The Ekiti State Chairman of Nigeria Labor Congress, Mr. Raymond Adesanmi, additionally affirmed the passing away of the six staff members in the state.

"Their demise is excruciating and would have been avoidable if  they were duelly paid their salaries" he said.

In Edo and Imo states, 40 retired laborers passed on, because of their failure to manage the cost of the tremendous expense of human services.

The Secretary of NULGE in Edo State, Mr. Chukwuemeka Aguonye, said the avoidable deaths were irritating.

Imo State NULGE supervisor, Ambrose Onuoha, said, "I have been going to numerous internment functions of our colleagues. I feel awful about the circumstance. Salaries are not paid as and when due, notwithstanding when they are paid, they are cut."

In the same vein, 17 staff members in Benue and two in Kogi states were affirmed to have passed on because of hunger.

Alhaji Saliu Ya-Ndasura, a guardian with the Lokoja Local Government Education Authority, drooped and passed on as workers in Kogi State challenged non-payment of salaries for not less than six months by the state government. A comparative case was before reported when a moderately aged man passed on in Okene resulting from absence of cash to buy drugs.

In spite of the fact that the precise figure of Government workers lost to hunger, disappointment and others in Ondo State couldn't be discovered as of the time of recording this report, the Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council of the Nigeria Labor Congress and Trade Union Congress in the state, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, said worker's organizations had lost numerous individuals to avoidable deaths.

Director, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria in Bayelsa State, Mr. Tari Dounana, said the congress had not recorded any loss among the staff members of the state workforce, but rather instances of the loss of beneficiaries were on the increase.

The state Chairman, Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Chief Bodi Amaran, reviewed that two beneficiaries kicked the bucket and three others fainted as of last verification of retirees at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa.

The bitter effect of the unpaid wages was additionally felt by teachers at Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu Ijebu, Ogun State.

The administrator of the school's staff union, Dr. Dan Oludipe, affirmed  that the foundation had lost a few individuals because of lack of resources to get medical care when they were sick.

Oludipe said somewhere around 2014 and June 2016, the foundation lost not less than five educating and non-instructing staff members.

He recorded the dead as Mr. Simeon Mabadeje (Agric. Dept.), Dr. Biodun Apooyin (PHE Dept.), Mr. Taiwo Otenaike (English Dept.), Mrs. Kemi Olaoye (Library) and Mr. A. Adebolu.

NLC Chairman in the state, Waheed Olojede, revealed that the circumstance was because of non-payment of workers' salaries, which he said frustrated them from getting to sufficient health care.

In Bauchi State, no less than 20 retired people have kicked the bucket while taking part in confirmation.

Director of the retired people's union in the state, Alhaji Abu Gar, said the state government was inhumane to the workers' predicament.
It was learnt that the last time retired people got paid in Cross River State was in May, 2013. Administrator of the state Union of Teachers, Mr. Eyo-Nsa Itam, revealed  that numerous resigned educators had kicked the bucket in the state without getting their benefits.

Governors are urging workers to understand the current economic situation in the country. This is what they keep saying all the time, that workers should understand, while the Governors themselves are living very comfortable lives.

The Kwara State Governor, AbdulFatah Ahmed, who talked through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said he was disheartened over the predicament of the workers.

The Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, and his Benue State partner, Samuel Ortom, said the circumstance was grievous.

Ortom's Special Adviser on Media and Information Communication Technology, Terver Akase, said the Benue State governor lamented his failure to pay workers' salaries as and when due.
he said, "The state government is trying to recuperate the N107bn plundered by past organization to pay the unfulfilled obligations of laborers' pay."

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and his neighboring Ondo State partner, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, conceded that life had been troublesome for laborers, while asking them to be tolerant.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, guaranteed the state government employees that they would be paid their February pay rates soon. Likewise, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, spoke to the specialists to hold up under with the administration as t