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70-Yr-Old Ex-Serviceman Dies On Pension Queue

By Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar 

Daily Trust (Abuja),  September 2, 2003

A 70-year-old military pensioner at the weekend slumped and died on a queue while waiting to be screened for payment of his pension in Yola the Adamawa State capital.

Retired Staff Sergeant, Audu, popularly called "Dan Bera," was standing on a long queue of fellow pensioners when he reportedly collapsed and died on the spot.

Some of his colleagues told journalists in Yola that the retired sergeant had been waiting for three days before the incident happened, and that he was not screened because of the cumbersome nature of the screening exercise.

The screening committee, which carries out the exercise on a monthly basis, according to sources, was meticulous in its work to ensure that only authentic pensioners were cleared to collect pensions.

Many pensioners, however, complained that the exercise was tedious, especially for the elderly ones, and that the large number of pensioners in the state further worsened the situation.

When retired Sergeant Audu slumped and died, his colleagues reportedly rushed him to the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, where he was confirmed dead, before taking his body to his hometown, Gulak, in Madagali local government area of the state.

Daily Trust was unable to speak to any of his relations, but his colleagues told journalists that he might have died as a result of stress.

Many pensioners called on the federal government to devise a better way of paying them their pension without subjecting them to monthly screening which exposes them to various dangers.

Military pensioners in many parts of the country have been complaining about difficulties in getting their pensions at various payment centres.

A few weeks ago, a military pensioner in Adamawa State, Alhaji Idris Abubakar Mubi told Daily Trust in Yola that despite all the sacrifices pensioners made for the country, the government never showed commitment to paying their pensions.

"Instead of taking measures to resolve our pension problems the federal government is devoting its attention to sending our troops to Liberia. We, too, had served in this kind of peacekeeping operations, but look at it, we can't even get our pension now," he complained.

Alhaji Idris pleaded with President Olusegun Obasanjo to "listen to the words of wisdom" and tackle the pension problems of military pensioners.

Although the complaint of neglect by the pensioners has been widespread, the federal government has also been complaining of the existence of "ghost" military pensioners who have been causing government huge losses.


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