N’Assembly workers tackle lawmakers over alleged funds diversion
MAY 8, 2013
National Assembly building, Abuja
Workers of the National Assembly, under the auspices of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday against the institution’s management, accusing it of diverting funds meant for the welfare of workers into private pockets.
The workers stayed away from work in the early part of Tuesday, mounting a standoff at the entrance of the two chambers of the National Assembly to drive home their grievances.
Matching towards the Senate wing, the workers refused to accept any delegation from the Senate other than the President of the Senate, David Mark, chanting solidarity songs and demanding to see the Senate President.
The placards-carrying protesters waited at the entrance until the President of the Senate adjourned the day’s sitting to address them.
Presenting their demands before Mark, an official of PASSAN, Mr. Odo Chris, said, “It has become a culture in the National Assembly that each time there is approval for staff welfare, the management will conceal and divert it to their personal pockets.”
He said the management, as led by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, also denied employees the “training and funding, even though funds were appropriated for it”.
He also alleged that the deductions from salaries of staff for pensions and taxes were equally diverted into private uses, including diversion of all the funds appropriated on yearly basis for staff welfare, fringe benefits and other incentives.
Some of the allegations as documented by the association include “Complete removal of one of our peculiar allowances; intimidation and victimisation of our union activists; defrauding of staff of the sum of N10,000 in the guise of occupier housing scheme since 2009; diversion/sale of lands allocated for staff quarters.”
He blamed the sufferings and impoverishment of National Assembly employees on the oppression of the management, claiming that it had in turn reduced the productivity of the workers.
They urged the President of the Senate and the Speaker to investigate the activities of the management.
Speaking to Mark, Odo said, “That you caution the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to refrain from meddling into the affairs of the legislative arm.
“That all the staff should be sent on at least one foreign and two local trainings yearly to enhance productivities.”
Mark, in his response, thanked the workers for expressing their grievances peacefully, promising to confer with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on how to deal with the matter.
He said, “Anybody, who is oppressing the least of the worker here, oppresses me as the President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly. We will not allow anybody to oppress you.
“Let me assure you that we are here to ensure that your welfare is given top priority; it is only when you are happy that all of us in the chambers can have conducive environment to work properly.”
Efforts to get the National Assembly’s Director of Information, Mr. Goke Adeola, to respond to the allegations were not fruitful as he neither picked his calls nor responded to a text message sent to his telephone.
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