Workers of the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Monday protested against the death of a former staff of the commission, Mr. Olorunmola Jerome.
They attributed his death to the non-paymrent of his gratuity by the management of the commission.
The deceased reportedly died last Friday while returning home from Akure where he had gone to demand for the payment of the pension owed him by the commission.
Jerome, who lost his son-in-law recently reportedly slumped on his arrival at Ikare-Akoko, his country home at the weekend.
He was said to have been diagnosed of high blood pressure which the family sources said was caused by depression over non-payment of his pension arrears.
Family sources said the late Jerome left the hospital last week Thursday when he could not foot his medical bill.
A staff of the commission who spoke in confidence said the deceased had come to the commission last week Friday begging the management to pay him part of his pension which he intended to use to foot his medical bill but his plea was not taken.
The staff said the money for payment of gratuities for retired staff of the commission had been released to the commission by the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and wondered why the late Jerome’s money was not paid.
Another source said the deceased died as a result of the stress he went through during his visit to OSOPADEC.
It was learnt that when the news of his death was broken to workers of the commission, they all trooped out largely to register their displeasure over the untimely death of their former colleague.
The chairman of the commission, Mr Johnson Ogunyomi, the secretary Dr. Man Alli and the Director of Finance Administration (DFA) Mr. Sola Orisamoluwa were held hostage by the irate workers who demanded that the deceased gratuity be paid to his family immediately.
The workers led by their union leader, Comrade Dele Magi berated the management for subjecting the deceased to undue hardship which they alleged eventually led to his death.
Magi said the number of retired workers of the commission who had died under similar circumstance in recent time had risen to two.
They also decried poor management of the commission and lackadaisical attitude towards workers’ welfare, adding that the late Jerome wouldn’t have died if the money had been paid to him at the right time.
They said the delay in the payment of his gratuity was a deliberate attempt by the management to rubbish the good work of Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration particularly his commitment to workers welfare.
The workers called for the immediate redeployment of the secretary and Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) of the commission.
Addressing the workers, chairman of the commission, Pastor Ogunyomi appealed to the workers and assured that he would personally look into the matter to unravel the circumstances that led to the non-payment of the deceased’s pension.
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