Retirees from the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) have shut down all post offices nationwide to drive home their demand for the immediate payment of their 73 months pension arrears amounting to 4,071,398,252.47 naira (about US$ 27 million) to 9,433 pensioners, according to the Guardian newspaper Tuesday. The paper said that as early as 7a.m. Monday, visibly angry retirees blocked the entrances to the Ikeja and Agege NIPOST offices in Lagos, turning back persons who had come to receive or post letters for the day.

“We are on strike. Until they pay us our money, we will not allow them to operate,” the pensioners chorused in unison.

At the Ikeja office, National Chairman of the Union, Chief Braimah Alezi Oboirien, said the retirees could no longer bear the “hide and seek game” officials of NIPOST and the Ministry of Finance were playing with their pension. Oboirien said NIPOST had reneged on its promise to pay their six years arrears on three different occasions.

“We were here on the 4th to 11th July 2011. They pleaded that we suspend the protest, which lasted for eight days nationwide till 15 July, and we accepted. But on the 15th, they did not still pay. We called again and they promised to pay on the 28th or 29th of July. But on 27th of July, I called and they said it’s not possible, that the director who ought to sign the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) was not around. I was very angry. Again, they promised to pay on 5 August and today is 8, they have not paid. We will not call off the protest until we are paid,” he said.

He said the Accountant-General of the Federation said the delay was because the Minister of State for Finance who is vested with the responsibility of signing approval for the money to be paid was yet to sign.

He implored President Goodluck Jonathan to direct the Minister of State for Finance to sign the AIE, saying “until he signs, the protest will be indefinite, no going back.”

Pana 10/08/2011