Metro
NASS legislative aides allege diversion of N128m salary arrears by Clerk
The National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum on Thursday alleged that the Clerk to the National Assembly Assembly, Arch. Amos Olatunde Ojo diverted the sum of N128 billion meant for offsetting salary arrears and other contingent allowances.
The forum is a body of parliamentary staff employed on tenure basis working with lawmakers in the upper and lower legislative Chambers.
At a world press conference on Thursday in Abuja, Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Salisu Usman Zuru lamented that the 9th National Assembly under the current leadership has subjected the legislative aides to untold hardships since 2019.
The group further alledged that there was monumental corruption and stealing perpetuated by the Clerk, given that there was a budgetary provision for offsetting of arrears in 2019, but which the whereabout of the fund remain a mystery.
The aides averred that their salaries and arrears ought to have started from the date of assumption on the June 11, 2019 being inauguration day alongside their principals, but in a twist, the Arch. Ojo-led NASS management did pay some aides and left others.
The forum revealed that they have explored all a available means to sort out the impasse without fruitful results, even as the House of Representatives sometime ago passed a resolution that all arrears of salaries, allowance and Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) be paid.
Amid pressure to be paid after the House Resolution, the Chairman of the forum, said, a new twist was introduced as the CNA told the NASSLAF executive that there was no money.
The Chairman explained the NASSLAF executive was once accused of compromise because of their firm belief of approaching the matter with diplomacy, stressing that it was the ‘compromise belief’ by some members that gave rise to another forum operating under the aegis of “Salary Affected Legislative Aides Forum.”
“In the 2019 Appropriation Act, the sum of N128 billion was appropriated for salaries and overhead for legislators, National Assembly bureaucracy and legislative aides.
“Legislative aides’ matters being directly under the office of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of House of Representatives, aides got the attention and sympathy of some of their principals in the House of Representatives to raise the issue and seek respite on the floor of the House.
“The issue was raised at the floor of the House and was unanimously adopted and referred to the House Services Committee for investigation. The Committee led by Hon Wahab Raji in their report to plenary in July 2020 recommended immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears without delay.
“The 9th NASSLAF EXCO have been battling management on these issues since inauguration in October 2020 to no avail. Management at first claimed that they have not received the report of the Hon Raji committee mandating it to pay up the arrears.
“Again, EXCO mounted pressure on Hon Raji committee to facilitate the transmission of the report to the CNA. On receipt of the report, the next pranks by management was that there was no money.
“All these while, our colleagues have concluded that the leadership of NASSLAF have been compromised. This led to the emergence of what is today known as the “Salary Affected Legislative Aides”, a pressure group, ostensibly, to support the effort of EXCO.”
They further accused the NASS management of not paying minimum wage, adding that the National Assembly Service Commission was also complicit in the plight of aides.
But in a swift reaction through a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Labour to the Clerk, Adesoro Tolu Austen, he dismissed the allegation, describing it as unfounded and speculative.
He said, NASS management treats issues on the basis of priority, adding that NASSLAF executive should learn to communicate challenges faced by the National Assembly.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Ojo Olatunde Amos, described as baseless speculative and unfounded allegations by the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum (NASSLAFF) that the National Assembly Management allegedly diverted and embezzled funds appropriated for Legislative Aides
He said: “NASSLAFF should learn to exhaust the internal mechanism for dispute resolutions as stipulated in the extant Labour Laws and also come to terms with reality of the paucity of funds confronting the Legislature and the nation with urgent need to prioritize the copious needs on ground”, he said.
**As thugs loyal to Abure unleash mayhem on LP protesters from Edo
There seem to be no end in sight for the crises in the Labour Party as the Edo State chapter has officially ratified the suspension of the National chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
This was contained in a correspondent to the National Headquarters of the party titled: Ratification. Of the suspension from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Esan North qEast LGA, Edo State.
The letter which was signed by the chairman and secretary of the state chapter of the party, Com. Ogbaloi K.S.E State Chairman and Com. Akhere Frederick respectively and was copied INEC.
The Letter reads,
“Here forwarded to you and for your notification, the ratification of the suspension of Comr Barr. Julius Abure from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Esan North East LGA. Edo State.
“The State Executive Council, Labour Party, Edo State, comprising of the State Working Committee, the 18 Local Government Chairmen and the 18 Local Government Secretaries met on the 24” of May, 2024, at about 11:00pm, to consider the matters presented on the suspension of Comr. Barr. Julius Abure by his Ward in Arue, Uromi, Esan North East LGA, and the upholding of the suspension by the LGA Excos.
“After clinical analysis of the accusation, the Council found them weighty and further ratified and upheld the suspension.
Meanwhile, Thugs suspected to be loyal to the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), on Monday unleashed mayhem on Protesters believed to be LP supporters from the Edo State chapter who were at the party National secretariat to demand Abure’s ouster.
The anti- Abure protesters stormed the party headquarters in a number of vehicles holding placards and chanting solidarity songs.
No sooner than some of the protesters stepped out of one of the vehicles than the suspected thugs swooped on the vehicles with sticks and other objects forcing the drivers to zoom off.
A detachment of armed policemen and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) intervened when the thugs started throwing stones into the nearby Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, in pursuit of reporters who were convering the fracas.
The intervention of the security officials prevented the situation from further degenerating. A police vehicle is currently stationed in between the warring factions.
By our correspondent
The Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria (KYN) the umbrella body of Kuteb world wide has accused Gen. Theophilus Danjuma ((rtd) of deliberately distorting and inventing new history of Takum Chieftaincy to benefit his tribal people (Chamba)
Chief Emmanuel Ukwen, President General Kuteb Yantso of Nigeria stated this while addressing newsmen in Jalingo on Friday.
The accusation is coming after the recent appointment of HRH Bar. Sopiya Gboshi as chief of Takum who was presented with staff of office by Gov Agbu Kefas to succeed late Ukwe Ali Ibrahim kufang ll who died 28 years ago.
The Kuteb also accused Gen. Danjuma and his associates of making plans to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the ancestral palace of Ukwe Takum which had been located behind the Mosque.
Chief Ukwen recalled the recent speech presented by Dajuma during the coronation of the newly appointed chief of Takum against the Kuteb and late Ukwe Takum Ali Ibrahim was unjust and unacceptable.
“It is a pity that TY Danjuma referred to late Ukwe Ali Ibrahim as a very bad and terrible chief on flimsy reasons because he was a Kuteb man and a Muslim.
Record have it that late Ukwe Ali ibrahim was an honest and peace loving leader who ruled over the people of Takum from 1963 to 1996 and was adjuged by all as a leader with fear of God.
“We have uncovered a sinister move by Danjuma and his cohorts to force the State Governor to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the Ukwe Takum Palace which is located behind the Mosque under the guise of Urban development.
“We want the whole world to know that the graves of our late Ukwes who reigned and died are in the palace.
“Any attempt by Danjuma and his cohorts to desecrate the tombs of our fathers will amount to cultural genocide,” he said.
The Kuteb leader also accused Danjuma of preaching peace in the public while he has secretly instigated and funded many crisis in his hometown, Takum.
The very recent was the sponsoring of Fulanis to wipe out over 200 Kuteb villages preparatory to the forceful installation of a Chamba Chief inorder to weaken and silence the Kuteb people in Takum.
“The Kuteb through Ukwe Takum ruled Takum from 1510 to 1996 uninterrupted by any other tribe, how comes Danjuma is forging history that the Kutebs are people from the hills? Ukwen questioned.
Meanwhile, Gen. Danjuma during the convocation of the Chief of Takum described the Kuteb people as troublesome and urged the State Governor, Kefas Agbu to be careful with the Kuteb people.
Forefront recalls that Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria shortly after the appointment of the new chief of Takum, vowed not to recognise the newly crowned chief Sopiya Gboshi from Chamba tribe.
The Kutebs vehemently vowed not to recognise the new Chief and would exhaust every legal means to recover their ancestral stool.
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Kogi State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of five persons in a fatal auto crash on Kabba-Obajana road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.
The State Sector Commander, Samuel Oyedeji, who confirmed the accident and death of the five to newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja said three others survived the accident with serious injuries.
Oyedeji attributed the accident which involved a Ford Galaxy space wagon and a Mazda car, to speeding and wrongful overtaking.
“The head-on collision between the two cars moving in the opposite directions happened due to speeding and wrongful overtaking by one of the drivers.
“We have been preaching against drivers flouting road safety rules and regulations, yet these motorists hardly heed our warnings.
“Five persons lost their lives in the fatal accident that left three others seriously injured,” he said.
The Sector Commander said that officers from the command immediately carried out a rescue operation at the scene of the accident and rushed the three injured persons to General Hospital, Kabba for medical attention.
Oyedeji said the remains of the five dead persons were also deposited at the mortuary of the Kabba General Hospital.
The Kogi Sector Commander admonished motorists to always endeavour to always obey road safety rules and regulations to avoid fatal auto crashes on the highways. (Ends)
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