Delta Assembly staff chase away law makers, present demands

The passage of the Delta State 2017 budget presented to the state house of assembly last week Thursday may suffer major setback as staff of the assembly under the aegis of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have, on Monday, put the assembly complex under lock and key.

The association led by Emmanuel Edozien as State Chairman, locked every entrance to the complex, blocking all members of staff and law makers, including Speaker of the assembly, Monday Igbuya, from gaining access to their offices within the complex.

Two police vans have been stationed at the entrance to the complex to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order and to quell possibly uprising from the aggrieved workers.

The association whose grievances have remained unaddressed since the administration of the past two speakers, Victor Ochei and Peter Onwusanya, shunned all pleas to give peace a chance and allow the legislators into their offices for the business of the day.

Comrade Edozien listed among other issues the payment of impress, appointment of Deputy clerk which has been vacant for over two years, running cost for the assembly, funding of the assembly clinic and payment of death benefits to families of late staff as some of the long standing grievances which the association said needed be addressed before the lawmakers would be allowed into the complex.

According to him, “Since February 2016, there has been no single drug in the assembly clinic. They always saying there is no money. This is affecting the staff, as a result we lost two of our staff because of no drug in the clinic. In the past two months, we have lost about four staff.

“What is happening is not good for the system. We said at least, let some drugs be provided, they refused. Again, one doctor cannot service the assembly staff, the lawmakers, their relatives and the assembly commission. So, we need another doctor.

“Appointment of a deputy Clerk is another problem. Since the deputy Clerk retired last year, the vacuum has not been filled. And there is a law passed by the same House for that position. We need a deputy Clerk, who is a staff and not a politician.

“The third is the outfit and special duty allowances. It is a yearly ritual. It is something that has existed over the years. It is for the staff of the legislatures all over the country. The House has refused to move our files to the Governor. This touches on workers’ welfare, so we will not let it go just like that.

“It is in the rule of government to cater for certain aspects of deceased staffs’ welfare, who died in active service. But the assembly has now abandoned the burial arrangements for the family of the deceased person. Memos on such matters have remained ignored since 2008”.

Following the grievances and the alleged unwillingness of the assembly to attend to these needs, the association has vowed that no law maker nor staff of the assembly would access the assembly or their offices untill their needs were met.

Over 600 staff of the assembly are signatories to the industrial action, which though was carried out without protest but was done peacefully by the executive members of PASAN who placed all entrances to the assembly under lock and key on Monday.

READ ALSO: Governor Okowa proposes N270.91bn budget for 2017

Speaker of the assembly, Monday Igbuya, was said to be unaware and not in the premises but a close aide of the Speaker said the issue is being addressed noting that government is not run hastily but it takes process and the process of addressing their grievances in on.

“The house members have addressed them, they are looking into the issues raised by the staff. There is actually no problem at all. We must know that government is not run like the way they want it, no, it must be do it today. We must follow due process to respond to demands”, the speaker’s aide said.

The post Delta Assembly staff chase away law makers, present demands appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read Naij.com 24/7.