Parliamentary Workers Disrupt Activities at Kano Assembly

Parliamentary Workers Disrupt Activities at Kano Assembly

By Ibrahim Shuaibu

The indefinite strike embarked upon by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) nationwide yesterday has crippled legislative activities at the Kano State House of Assembly.

Also, staff members of PASAN blocked all access into the Assembly complex to protest against the non-implementation of legislature autonomy by the Nigerian state governors.

Addressing journalists on the development in Kano, the state Chairman of the association, Mr. Ubale Yusuf, said the strike had just begun.

According to him, the indefinite strike was aimed at shutting down the national and state assemblies over the non-implementation of financial autonomy by the state governors.

He further explained that in May 2020, President Muhammad Buhari signed an executive order granting financial autonomy to the legislature across the 36 states of the country, but it is yet to be implemented by the governors.

Yusuf added that after the president’s approval, the governors challenged the issue in court, but were not able to succeed in stopping the autonomy.

According to him, “Although, despite the court order, the governors are yet to comply and implement the autonomy. Therefore, we have no other option than to embark on an indefinite strike to call the attention of the governors.

“Like you know, both the state and the National Assemblies are very important to the governors. If really they are working for the progress of their states, the governors must look for a lasting solution.

“We were instructed by our national body not to negotiate with anyone on the issue, and I assured you that we are not going to engage in any discussion with anyone.

“Therefore, PASAN in Kano State with 14 members have commenced indefinite strike today (yesterday), and we are not stopping until we receive instruction from the national body.”

He was alleged to have cyber-bullied 17 identified Nigerian girls across various universities in Nigeria, including Elizade University in Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, and Kaduna State University, but four of his victims were at the same institution with him and were minors when the incident started.

Allegations against him in the charge, which has the Inspector General of Police as the complainant, is that he, Ofoeyeno also known as Chaz, between September 2019 and October 2020, conspired to commit felony to wit cyber fraud against a young girl who was then a minor (name withheld) and committed an offence punishable under Section 27 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act 2015.

He was also alleged to have sent electronic messages that he has the nude videos of his victim, with a threat to make it public with the intent to defraud and obtained some money from her thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 14 (2) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention Law, 2004).

Ofoeyeno was alleged to have used an Access Bank account number with account name Amaju Gina Olamateyo and account number 1386852492 to obtain the money from his victim, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act 2015. An account that investigators at Akin Fadeyi Foundation declared that was untraceable because it had no BVN, adding that the bank should be investigated.

Commenting on the logjam necessitated by the Judge’s transfer, ABUAD Students’ Affairs Director, Wahab, said the prosecuting counsel could still exploit the option of filing an application for fiat, so that the transferred Judge could still be presiding over the case from her new Division.

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