Legislative aides protest unpaid allowances as National Assembly resumes

Shortly after the National Assembly resumed, the Legislative aides of the lower and upper chambers took to complex to protest over their unpaid allowances.



With placards which read ‘Lack is killing aides S.O.S’ , ‘Omolori pay us our money’, the legislative aides under the aegis of National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum (NASSLAF) protesting over their unpaid allowances, stated that they did not have issues of payment of allowances under the last leadership of the assembly.

Nyakari-Abasi Etuk, president of NASSLAF, who spoke with journalists disclosed that they have not been paid Duty Tour Allowances (DTA) among others, since the inception of the 8th assembly. According to him, six months to the end of the assembly, there is no talk about severance packages.

“Some of us they are owing us up to one point something million and these are funds we use to go on errands and other miscellaneous things. The last leadership of the national assembly paid us up to date,” he said

“We are not talking about training, the issue of training is also there, we are supposed to have four trainings in a year. Ever since we started we have not had training. The training that we had was sponsored by the national assembly service commission. All we are asking for is our entitlements.

“We have tried we are calling on the leadership – so we are telling the world that they are owing us, they are taking us to the point where we have to address everybody. This is our plight this is our concern, we are telling everybody – today is the resumption date – most of the aides, some have died, some don’t have money to send their children to school.

“The leadership as a matter of urgency – we are calling on the leadership to ensure that our allowances, to ensure we collect our duty tour allowances.

“Every year, allocations and budget are given to the national assembly which captures the legislative aides. So all we are saying, all we are asking for is for them to pay us.”