Pensioners collapse waiting for audit team in Osun

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Three pensioners on Monday collapsed in Osogbo, Osun state capital while participating in the ongoing forensic audit of active and passive workers of the state government.

The senior citizens had arrived at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, the venue of the exercise waiting for the take-off before the incident.

It was observed that the exercise was yet to commence when the unfortunate incident happened at about 12:45 p.m.

Three of the pensioners collapsed while waiting for the arrival of the team to commence the exercise and it took the intervention of the health workers of the State Ambulance Service to revive and stabilise the victims.

Meanwhile, others who could not withstand the rigours of standing for long were seen lying down on the bare floor while others sat under trees located outside the complex.

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 his on the way to assess the situation to ensure that everyone is adequately taken care of.

Meanwhile, the NUP had previously appealed to the State Government on the need to decentralise the exercise to make it easier for its members to access.

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.