Aides to members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, under the auspices of the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum, have resolved to hold protests at the federal parliament on Wednesday next week over non-payment of a backlog of salaries and allowances.
Chairman of NASLAF, Salisu Zuru, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Thursday, accused the management of the National Assembly of diverting the N25bn meant to pay the arrears of their minimum wage for 21 months.
However, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Amos Ojo, denied diversion of the N25bn meant for payment of the legislative aides’ arrears.
Zuru said NASLAF had consequently resolved to lead its 4,000 members on peaceful protests next week to demand payment.
He said, “In the 2019 Appropriation Act, N128bn was appropriated for salaries and overhead for legislators, National Assembly bureaucracy and legislative aides. This means that salaries and allowances of legislative aides and their principals (legislators) take effect from the day of inauguration of the 9th Assembly officially recognised as their date of assumption of duty, June 11, 2019.
“Legislative aides usually assume duty the same day with their principals but due to bottlenecks from the then National Assembly Service Commission, aides received appointment letters between June 11 and December 31, 2019, endorsed by their principals with an effective date from June 11, 2019. When it was time for payment of the arrears, management chose to pay some aides and refused to pay others.”
Zuru added, “As a prelude to what to expect in the coming weeks, the exco will lead over 4,000 legislative aides on a peaceful protest, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, from 8am. Accordingly, all aides are hereby mobilised to turn up en masse. After the warning protests, we shall reveal our next line of actions.”
However, the CNA, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Labour, Austen Adesoro, described as “baseless speculative and unfounded,’’ allegations by the NASSLAFF that the National Assembly management allegedly diverted and embezzled funds appropriated for legislative aides.
Ojo said, “With cognisance to legitimate allowances yet to be paid to few aides, NASSLAFF should learn to exhaust the internal mechanism for dispute resolutions as stipulated in the extant labour laws. They should also come to terms with reality of the paucity of funds confronting the legislature and the nation with urgent need to prioritise the copious needs on ground.”
Ojo regretted the union leaders’ inability to communicate management’s challenges and efforts in finding a solution to its members’ grouse, but resorted to deliberate blackmail thereby undermining their conditions of engagement stipulating that their appointment was at the instance of their principals.
The CNA stated that funds approved in December 2021 through virement were N25bn meant for payment of minimum wage arrears and outstanding liabilities owed a contractor.
He said, “Out of the approved amount, N5bn was released for payment of minimum wage arrears wherein National Assembly staff and National Assembly Service Commission staff was allocated N2.3bn while legislative aides got N2.7bn.
“This amount regrettably was not enough, considering the large number of legislative aides to offset the total arrears owed.”
He added that the N20bn left for payment of liabilities owed local contractors was still domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Considering this situation, Ojo wondered how funds had been misappropriated or diverted.
The CNA, who reiterated absolute commitment to improve staff/aides welfare and public service rules, expressed shock regarding why legislative aides who never embarked on any official tour would be demanding for Duty Tour Allowances.
NASSLAFF is demanding payment of the outstanding balance of the 2019 salary arrears and payment of the remaining 20 months minimum wage arrears
Others, according to Zuru, include the immediate implementation of the minimum wage consequential adjustment with effect from February 2022 and implementation of the initial 50 per cent CONLESS effective March 2022.
The demands also included immediate payment of accumulated DTA from 2019 till date, with effect from March, 2022.
The aides are also asking for the commencement of an immediate training programme for all cadres of legislative aides in the service of the National Assembly management.
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