N5.8bn unpaid allowances : Legislative sides threaten to shut down NASS

Legislative aides to the federal lawmakers at the National Assembly have threatened to shut down the federal Parliament if their alleged owed allowances totalling N5.8billion are not paid before the resumption date of the National Assembly on September 25.

The legislative aides in their hundreds made the threat on Tuesday at the central lobby of the National Assembly , shouting ” We are aides and not slaves , pay us our entitlements” !

Addressing journalists on their plights, the Chairman of the aggrieved legislative aides, Comrade Sam Melaye, said the entitlements totalling about N5.8 billion now, must be paid before resumption of the lawmakers this month failure of which will lead to shut down of the federal Parliament.

The entitlements, according to him, are Duty Tour Allowances ( DTA) not paid to any one of them within the last three years which is over N2billion now and training allowances which based on calculation of N1billion per year , is N3billion now .

” By laid down procedures and yearly budgetary provisions of N250m on quartely basis , each of the legislatives aides is expected to go for training on the template of capacity building the totality of which is N1bn per year but for the past three years, no category of the aides have been sent on any training , let alone , paid the required allowances “, he explained.

He also disclosed that the aides under the aegis of National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum ( NASSLAF) , have made concerted efforts to get the leadership of the National Assembly politically and Administratively within the last three months in getting the monies paid without required response or cooperation from them .

Though after the protest, the Clerk to the Senate , Nelson Ayewoh in his capacity as Acting Clerk to NASS presently, had audience with the aggrieved aides in his office but after the meeting, the protesting aides returned back to the lobby , shouting “No retreat , no surrender! “.