An Unusual Welcome Party for Federal Lawmakers

A protest, last week, by legislative aides over nonp-payment of salaries and other allowances paralysed legislative activities at the National Assembly, writes Adedayo Akinwale

The federal lawmakers, last week, got an unusual welcome from their legislative aides after a 19-day Easter recess, when they were greeted with a massive protest over alleged series of infractions and acts of impunity that had been perpetrated by the National Assembly management against Legislative Aides of the Ninth Assembly.

Though the National Assembly did not sit last Tuesday due to the deaths of two members: Hon. Suleiman Aliyu, a member of the House of Representatives from Kaduna State, who died at a hospital in Kaduna after a brief illness and Hon. Haruna Maitala, also a member of the House from Plateau State, who died in a car accident along the Abuja-Keffi road with his son.

However, the legislative aides threw caution into the wind, when they launched their audacious protest on the lawmakers and the management of the National Assembly.

This disrupted the scheduled reconvening of federal lawmakers after the Easter break with a massive protest over unpaid seven months’ salaries, non-implementation of minimum wage and unpaid duty tour allowance, among others.

The aides, who stormed the National Assembly carrying placards with various inscriptions like ‘Pay Us Our Wages’, CNA, Pay Us Our 2019 Salary,’ ‘NASS Management, A Worker Deserves His Pay,’ accused the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Mr. Olatunde Ojo, of failing to pay their salary arrears, implement the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS), minimum wage, non-payment of Duty Tour Allowances (DTA) and lack of training and conditions of service for the aides.

The aggrieved protesters, on sighting the Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was on his way to the chamber, started chanting solidarity songs and Gbajabiamila stopped and demanded to hear out the leaders of the protesting aides.

Speaking on behalf of others, Mr. Zebis Prince, who represents the South-South geo-political zone of the group, told the Speaker that the aides wanted the CNA to meet all their demands.

He stated: “Since the inauguration of this 9th Assembly, salaries arrears of some Legislative Aides were withheld by the management. That issue was a subject of a motion moved on the floor by Hon. Bamidele Salam. The matter was referred to the House Services Committee headed by Hon. Wale Raji with the mandate to, amongst other things, ‘investigate the irregularities in the payment of Legislative Aides salaries’.

“After much denial, the CNA insisted on either the House report or a written authorisation from the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission before he would pay the arrears that had been outstanding since June, 2019. Fortunately, that report was laid, debated and adopted on Wednesday 17th March, 2022. The House Resolution expressly directed the Chairman of the Commission to mandate the CNA to pay Aides, their arrears. (See attached votes and proceedings).

“Specifically, we are disturbed that despite an express Legislative resolution mandating the CNA to ensure the payment of this long overdue entitlement, three weeks after, the Chief Accounting Officer of the National Assembly has chosen to hold Honourable members and by extension the whole institution to ransom. The continued refusal of the CNA to pay about 2,500 Aides their 2019 salary arrears has created a sharp division between Aides on one hand and the Management on the other. “

He stressed that in December, 2020 Aides under the auspices of ‘Salaries Arrears Affected Legislative Aides’ had through a letter dated 13th December, 2020 notified the Commission, the Senate President, the Speaker, Sergeant-at-Arms, DSS and the National Assembly DPO of their intention to commence series of actions to drive home their demands for the payment of their salary arrears.

He added that the protest was suspended after the NASS Director of DSS prevailed on them to stay action. He said the Director has assured the aggrieved Aides that the money would be paid on or before 21st December, 2020. Prince, however, lamented that the CNA as usual failed to keep to his words, adding that on account of this breach, the aides have set machinery in motion to bring their plight to the attention of all relevant stakeholders and agencies.

His words: “We would like to use this opportunity to express our great displeasure at the miserable and inhumane working conditions of Aides in the National Assembly. The disdain, disregard and discrimination meted to Aides need to be looked at.

“Some of these capricious acts include non-payment of the routine Duty Tour Allowance (DTA), training, non-implementation of national minimum wage and the Consolidated Legislative Aides Salary Structure (CONLESS); benefits that are already being enjoyed by the management staff of NASS and other workers in federal establishment. We are wondering why the money is being withheld by the CNA even after management had long admitted that the funds were available.”

“Let it be on record that having exhausted our patience and internal dispute resolution mechanisms, we have resolved to pursue our grievances using all legitimate tools at our disposal. We are embarking on a rally round the precinct of the National Assembly starting from Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Apart from this sensitisation campaign, we also intend to embark on a sustained social media campaign, petition relevant agencies and NGOs to look particularly into the Legislative Aides account and how it is being administered. As a last resort, we may approach the National Industrial Court not necessarily on the vexed arrears alone but on other entitlements that have been denied us.”

The protesters through the Chairman, National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum (NASSLAF), Mr. Salisu Zuru, however, presented their demands to the Speaker.

These included the implementation of the minimum wage/consequential adjustment and the financial provisions in their conditions of service.

After receiving the letter, the Speaker said it was inexcusable not to pay workers arrears dating back to 2019 and pleaded with the workers to be patient while the National Assembly leadership looks into it.

He stated: ”I believe that every labourer should be paid his wages. We are looking into it. While these things can be protracted, not paying wages for 2019 is inexcusable. We will look into it. I will just ask that you be patient.

“We plead for your understanding. We know there are financial constraints, but one thing I know is this will be resolved amicably and your arrears will be paid. We appreciate you for bringing these demands to our attention and we will attend to it accordingly.”

Addressing journalists shortly after, the Chairman National Assembly Legislative Aides, Mr. Stanley Ugwu, accused the management of the National Assembly of denying them certain privileges and rights of the legislative aides.

He said: ”We engaged them on administrative processes up till a point of getting a resolution to investigate the non-payment of the 2019 salary arrears, which the House of Representatives set up a committee, they sat and conducted their activities and the report was laid and adopted by the House.

“Since the report has been accepted at the plenary, the management has not deemed it fit to make the payments. The quarterly training for the aides has not been done as well and if aides are not trained, the quality of the legislation you will have here will be low.”

Also, one of the aides, Mr. Lawson Oviashave, told THISDAY that the aides had wanted the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, to address them, adding that if he failed to show up, they would disperse and continue the protest the following day.

He said: ”If Lawan doesn’t come, we will peacefully disperse. Tomorrow we will come back here; we are going to keep on coming here every day until our demands are met. We can’t be blackmailed; they have the impression that aides are a bunch of irresponsible people but we are going to prove them wrong.

“We will let the world know the conditions under which we are working. It’s a continuous process until we get an alert of our arrears.”

The protesters had before embarking on the protest, issued a statement on Monday, saying since the inauguration of the Ninth Assembly, salary arrears of some legislative aides had been withheld by the management.

In what looks like another showdown, the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have vowed to embark on a strike if the management of the National Assembly fails to meet their demands.

The union, in a joint communiqué signed by Sunday Sabiyyi (Chairman, National Assembly chapter) and Oisamaye Ojemeri (Chairman, National Assembly Service Commission (NASC chapter) at the end of its congress in Abuja asked the management of the National Assembly to implement the minimum wage/consequential adjustment and the financial provisions in their conditions of service.

The association also rejected the proposal of the management of the National Assembly on the implementation of part of their demands.