There was confusion on Monday in Osogbo as some elderly pensioners collapsed at the venue of the ongoing forensic audit of active and passive workers of the state government.
The victims, who were three in number, collapsed at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) venue of the exercise.
DAILY POST gathered from other pensioners who were at the venue of the screening exercise that the senior citizens had arrived at the venue of the exercise waiting for the take-off before the incident.
When contacted, the Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, in the state, Dele Aina, said he had been briefed on the incident and was on his way to assess the situation to ensure that everyone was adequately taken care of.
Meanwhile, the NUP had previously appealed to the state government on the need to decentralise the ongoing screening exercise of its workforce, which includes retirees.
The staff audit was earlier suspended for weeks by the state House of Assembly over the inhuman treatment meted out to the civil servants by the consultant, but the suspension was lifted after she promised to adjust the observed lapses.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that it took the intervention of the medical personnel of the state ambulance service to revive and stablise the victims.
Many of the pensioners were visibly angry, decried the arrangement and the eventual treatment of their colleagues who came for the exercise from across the state, despite the harsh economic situation occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.
A pensioner, Abubakar Adeyemi, agreed that the exercise was desirable.
“It is desirable, but I am of the opinion that the process would have been made easier if it were to be done on local government or zonal basis,” he said.
The staff audit was earlier suspended for weeks by the state House of Assembly over inhuman treatment meted out to the civil servants by the consultant in charge, Saadat Bakri-Ottun, but the suspension was lifted after she promised to correct her mistakes.
Reacting, the Osun State Government directed that all bedridden and healthy-challenged pensioners will henceforth have their audit exercise conducted via telephone.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government also said senior citizens will no longer be required to be physically present at the venue of the screening exercise.
“Pensioners outside the state at the moment no longer need to travel down to Osun State as they will also be having their screening through the telephone.
“Additionally, pensioners in the diaspora will also be screened only through video calls.
“In line with the above, the pension board is expected to make available all the particulars, especially pictures of pensioners to the consultant, for ease of identification during the video call screenings.
“The above directives take immediate effect.”
