The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria has given details about why it met with the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, and the leadership of the Red Chamber on Thursday regarding its ongoing nationwide strike.
The National President of the union, Mohammed Usman, while speaking with our correspondent in Abuja said the legislative workers would not back down on their strike actions if the governors refused to grant financial autonomy to state assemblies.
Two weeks ago, the legislative workers across the 36 states and the National Assembly had vowed to shut down operations over the failure of state governors to comply with the implementation of financial autonomy for state assemblies in line with the 1999 Constitution.
In separate letters sent to the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the Chairman, Forum of Speakers, and the Department of State Services, the workers explained that they had earlier issued a 21-day warning strike.
On Monday, the Sokoto, Nasarawa, Katsina, Abia, Anambra and Jigawa chapters of the association shut down the houses of assembly in their respective states.
The union had given state governments a 21-day ultimatum and further extended it by one week.
In May 2020, former President, Major General Muhammad Buhari (retd.) signed an executive order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary across the 36 states of the country.
However, the former president suspended the gazetting of the order after a pushback from governors.
In the 2022 constitution amendment, some of the bills that scaled through included financial autonomy for state legislature and judiciary.
Usman explained that they met with Akpabio to find a lasting solution to the issues.
He said, “But if we don’t get a solution, we are not backing down. The state assemblies are still under lock, and except if we have a response like a committee set up to look into the issue and implementations begin, we are not backing down.
“We met with the Senate President to express our grievances and to make him understand some of our demands. These are issues that have to do with the constitution.”
The Financial Autonomy Bill states that all finances belonging to the State House of Assembly and judiciary “Should be paid directly into the accounts of the State House of Assembly account directly from the Accountant General, not through the office of the governors,” he noted.
The PASAN President added, “I don’t know why till now, nothing has been done and the governors and the Accountant General have refused to oblige to that section of the Constitution.
“These things are affecting us, beyond the effect it has on the legislators, we as members of the State House of Assemblies are hugely affected by the refusal of the governors to implement this aspect of the Constitution.”
The PASAN President lamented that their members often stay between four to five months before being paid.
(Punch)
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