National Assembly workers may stall legislative activities

There are strong indications that legislative activities scheduled to commence on Tuesday may be stalled as the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) failed to shelve the week-long industrial action.

The joint chapter chairmen had in a notice sent to all the National Assembly workers, resolved to shelve the planned congress slated for Monday, June 13, 2022, with a view to brief the workers on the meeting held at the instance of the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan last Friday.

The Senate President had during the meeting urged the striking workers to shelve the strike with a view to resuming dialogue with National Assembly management.

According to the notice seen by Nigerian Tribune, the new date for the Congress was slated for Tuesday, 14th June 2022 at the National Assembly Gate by 7 am.

The notice read in part: “Slight Change on Joint Congress time. This is to notify all PASAN MEMBERS that the joint Emergency CONGRESS of the NASS/NASC Chapters earlier scheduled to hold by 10 am has been rescheduled.”

The workers who blocked the three major entrances into the National Assembly complex amidst jamboree had for the past one week paralysed banking, ongoing construction of the National Assembly Library and National Assembly Service Commission Permanent Site and other business activities.

Some of the placards displayed during the last protest read: ‘N25bn releases for arrears of staff salaries and wages missing’, ‘Stoppage of existing allowances approved by both Houses of NASS is a contravention of the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’; CNA deceiving political leaders and staff’s; ‘PASAN demands full implementation of NASS conditions of and MoU’; ‘Training funds for past 22 years embezzled’; ‘Where is monetisation policy, each Permanent Secretary has 7 official cars’; ‘NASS that makes and breaks laws’; ‘Lack of motivation limits the ability of support staff in the business of lawmaking,’ among others.

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The protesting workers also accused the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA) of giving account for some doubtful expenditures including N452.760 million allegedly spent on maintenance of Perkins 2000KVA as well as N339.171 million for overhauling of the water tank.

The documents displayed by the protesting workers read: “NASS management contract awards corrupted over-influenced contracts award by the Clerk of National Assembly in Annex, generator maintenance 2000KVA Perkins.

“A Brand New Perkins 2000KVA Market Price N89,666,600 was maintained at the cost of N452,759,999.80. Overhauling of water tanks in NASS N339,171,100.”

The Senators and members of the House of Representatives across party lines had embarked on over three weeks of the recess to enable them to participate in the party.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, had on the 6th June 2022 informed that the “2 Chambers of the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) have jointly postponed the resumption of plenary from tomorrow 7th June to Tuesday, 14th June. 2022 due to the ongoing APC Party Convention.”

In a related development, Dr Danzaria had on June 6, 2020, wrote: “I am directed to inform all Hon Members, Staff, Media and the General Public that due to the on-going party primaries the House will now resume plenary on Tuesday, 7th June 2022 at 11:00 am.”