Legislative Aides Threaten To Shut Down National Assembly

BEVERLY HILLS, October 26, (THEWILL) – Legislative aides in the National Assembly have threatened to embark on strike action to protest the delay in the payment of their allowances and entitlements.

NAN reports that the aides, who staged a warning protest at the main lobby of the assembly complex on Wednesday, displayed placards with inscriptions that expressed their displeasure.

Paul Usembor, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the protest was a platform to express their grievances since other options failed explaining that the aides resorted to a peaceful protest having exhausted all possible avenues to get the management of the assembly to pay outstanding allowances to about 4,600 aides.

“We need to come out to state our grievances against the management by carrying out a 14 sitting working day protest in line with our advocacy rally which is taking place throughout the month of November until our issues are resolved,” he said.

According to him, the aides were owed “DTA allowances since October 2015, first 28 days allowance and no training since inception of the 8th assembly.”

“If nothing is done between now and Tuesday , all the legislative aides will down tool. And if we down tool it will certainly be a clog in the wheel of the operations of the national assembly,” one of the aggrieved workers, Gozie Nwachukwu, declared.

Story by Oputah David