NASS is broke, can’t pay salaries, may sack legislative aides

By ABUBAKAR YUSUF

From all indications, the National Assembly can no longer pay salaries of legislative aides. It is said to be set to sack over 50 percent of legislators’ workers.

This is coming after the management of the Assembly reneged on payment of August salaries to over 80% of legislative aides.

The development recurred in August after similar situations was witnessed since the beginning of 2021 from January to July, as the National Assembly Service Commission (NASS) management staggered legislative aides’ salaries for weeks unlike the federal lawmakers, civil servants and the staff of the commission.

Investigations by News Express confirmed a sharp drop in legislative aides’ allocations from the Federation Account.

The National Assembly legislative aides’ salary is domiciled with its primary bank, Heritage Bank.

Legislative aides have protested severally over lack of attention to their welfare from NASS management ranging from irregular salary payment, to omission, lack of payment of minimum wage, CONLESS, DTA and the lingering salary arrears of 2019.

Coming at a time the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is planning to review the salaries and allowances of political appointees, the crises of non-payment of monthly salaries seems unabated in NASS.

Some legislative aides at the National Assembly who spoke on the condition of anonymity threatened protest on resumption of the federal lawmakers from the long vacation over glaring neglect by the NASS management. 

Efforts to speak with the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA) proved unsuccessful.