“As we are crying, report reaching us through the Vice Chairman of Warri Port, Mr. C. Tunde is that Warri Treasurer, Mr. Iwuji is dead; aged 66 years, leaving four children behind and members have been weeping over his death as one of the pioneers of the meeting. The children are accusing NPA for the death of their father for non- payment of pension on time”.
“Mrs. Margaret U. E. Okong died, aged 56 from Akwa Ibom, leaving six children. Her next of kin, Master Promise regretted the death of his mother for not eating the fruit of her labour before she died”.
“Mr. Henry Ikah, age 64 years from Cross River State died as a result of hardship, hunger and starvation, leaving five children behind. His next of kin, Dominic Nyong Akiba said he regretted watching his father dying without getting his rights from NPA. His father promised to train him when he receives his pension, but he is no more.”
“The Vice Chairman of Calabar Port, Mr. Lawrence Asuquo who reported this, said that Calabar Port has witnessed over 65 ex-staff of 1991 death and he believed the same number of staff would have also died in Port Harcourt Port due to hardship and refusal of NPA to pay our pension on time. Lagos Port also witnessed the same condition due to hunger and starvation as a result of non-payment of pension. People are bound to die because they don’t meet up their daily needs again”.
The above are excerpts from the recent heart-rendering ‘safe our soul’ letter that was written by the 1991 retirees of the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) who were laid-off to pave-way for an aborted commercialisation exercise in 1991.
We are however aware that deaths among the 1991 retirees is a common thing, it occurs almost every week.
Since their career was unexpectedly terminated by the management of NPA in 1991, they have done everything that is humanly possible to ensure that they were paid their entitlements which include: pensions and gratuities, to no avail.
The embattled ex-workers had taken their matters as far as the Supreme Court and they have received judgement in their favour, painfully however, the management of NPA has allegedly refused to pay. The latest is that the embattled ex-workers are allegedly being paid a paltry pension of between N2000 and N3000.
The matter is also known to the ministry of transport and the National Assembly, among others, yet their entitlements remain unpaid.
The issue of payment of the 1991 retirees predates the present management of NPA. We recall that the former managing director of the agency, Chief Adebayo Sarumi could not, but when handing over a split NPA to his successors; Mr Felix Ovbude and Malam Abdulsalam Mohammed lamented the inability of NPA to pay. But when he later became the substantive chief executive officer of a unified NPA, Malam Abdulsalam Mohammed equally promised, but about three years down the line, nothing has been done beyond the pittance that has been handed out to the aged workers; majority of whom are in their 60s.
We know that NPA had defended the peanuts being paid to the ex-workers in the name of pensions. The defence is that pensions are worked out based on the prevailing salary structure when the pensioners left service.
We are however glad that NPA is finally waking up to its responsibilities to these senior citizens. This is going by the story that compilation of names of those concerned (living or dead) has already commenced and that payment may soon begin.
It is our hope that this is true and that these obviously senior citizens and ex-workers of NPA are not going to be subjected to another round of endless waiting game, while waiting for yet another death.
The managing director of NPA owes it as matter of obligation, not only to obey the Supreme Court ruling, but also as a matter of obeisance to the various interventions that have come forth.
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