N’Assembly’s legislative aides threaten to down tools over unpaid allowances

By; JOSHUA I. EGBODO, Abuja.
Legislative aides to members of the National Assembly have threatened to embark on strike as they Wednesday, issued notice of a 14-sitting days protest over unpaid arrears of allowances and other benefits.
The aides during a warning procession around the main lobby of the National Assembly complex displayed placards with inscriptions that registered their grievances on unpaid allowances and since October, 2015.
Mr Paul Usembor who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said the protest serve as a platform to state their grievances. “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 the issues are resolved”, he said.
Usembor also explained that the aides had no other option but to a peacefully protest, after exhausting all possible avenues to get the management of National Assembly to pay outstanding allowances to about 4, 600 of them.
He explained that they were owed DTA allowances since October 2015 to date, first 28 days allowance and no training since inception of the 8th assembly.
Also speaking, another aide, Mr Gozie Nwachukwu said that if nothing is done to meet their demands before October 31, they will stop work in protest. “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,’’ he submitted.