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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Pandemonium broke at the Center for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday, as three pensioners collapsed during ongoing screening by the state government.
But for the urgent arrival of the medics of the state ambulance service, some of the victims would have passed on.
The incident caused unrest as only a few among the pensioners were agile enough to rise to the occasion and prevent unforeseen circumstances before the arrival of the medics.
The pensioners, who had thronged the venue of the screening at the hills of CBCIU early in the morning brought their food and drinks to meet up with the screening as part of the requirement for the payment of their entitlements.
Some of the pensioners were assisted to the venue by children, relatives, and grandchildren, most of whom helped in rescuing the collapsed victims.
While some of them were standing, waiting for the screening exercise to commence, those who could not withstand it laid on the floor outside the venue of the screening.
One of the pensioners, Samuel Aduroja, faulted the lack of proper arrangement for the aged ones by the handlers of the screening.
He noted that he did not oppose the screening but it should have been better arranged by either on zonal or local government for easy access of the people.
The consultant handling the screening exercise, Saadat Bakri-Ottun, was yet to arrive at the venue when the incident happened.
The state Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Dele Aina, told Daily Sun that he was told that some pensioners slumped but he has not seen the affected members.
The civil servants had accused the consultant of unfair treatment and reported to the State House of Assembly.
The legislators had earlier suspended the exercise and later lifted the suspension after a promise by the consultant to be more professional in the discharge of her duty.
