Unpaid allowances: Staff down tools, shut down NASS

Normal life activities were halted at the National Assembly, Three Arms Zone, Abuja this morning as the Staff of the Assembly under the umbrella of “Parliamentary Staff Association, PASSAN”, began warning industrial ‎action over unpaid allowances running to several millions of naira.

It was gathered that the workers in their large numbers had reported at the NASS Complex earlier in the ‎day, armed with various placards and sealed off the chambers and took vantage positions and chanting solidarity songs with interval shout of ” Sani -Omolori Must Goooooooo”.

The presence of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu to calm down the protesting workers  ‎was rebuffed and they were shouting,’ Noooooooo’, “No alert, No work. “Omolori Must Gooooo”

‎The angry workers alleged the management of owing them over three years allowances and that the staff have not been sent for training for over eight years now.

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One of the protesters Mrs Vivian Ozolua led other protesters told reporters that the management had not paid their allowances in the past three years and vowed to ensure that there would be no sitting in both chambers and no work until they get alert.

The protesters also rebuffed entities by some security agents both the Police, the Department of  State Services, DSS and the Sergeant-at-Arms who had been deployed to ensure that the planned protest do not hold

The workers also called for the resignation of Clerk to the National Assembly Alhaji Ataba Sani-Omoroli over the matter accusing him of high handiness and corruption in managing the institution.

It would be recalled that barely two months ago, it was reported that a similar protest led by members of Legislative Aides Forum National Assembly had paralysed activities of the institution over unpaid salaries and allowances totalling over N8bn

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