Nation
Reps To Resolve Staff Pending Issues Soon, Speaker Assures
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured that the pending issues raised by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), National Assembly chapter, will soon be resolved.
Gbajabiamila, who made the announcement at yesterday’s plenary, said the issues were of paramount importance to the leadership of the House, adding that an end would soon be reached.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to PASAN that their matter is being looked into, and very soon it will be resolved.
“I know there are pending issues, and hopefully those issues will be resolved this week,” Gbajabiamila said, and appealed to the PASAN members for calm.
It would be recalled that PASAN members had embarked on a nationwide strike after tabling some demands.
The strike action was boycotted by their members at the National Assembly who, however, threatened to join if the issues tabled by the association were not addressed.
Earlier, the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum, had, yesterday, in Abuja, protested the non-payment of their 20 months’ salary arrears.
Zebis Prince, who spoke on behalf of the protesting aides, said that since the inauguration of the 9th Assembly, their salary arrears were withheld by the management.
He said that the matter was referred to the House Services Committee with the mandate to among other things investigate the irregularities in the payment of legislative aides.
He, however, said that the clerk of the National Assembly (CNA) insisted on getting directives from the chairman of the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum, National Assembly Service Commission before payment of the arrears.
“We are disturbed that despite an express legislative resolution mandating the CNA to ensure payment three weeks after, the Chief Accounting Officer of NASS has chosen to hold us to ransom.
“The continued refusal of CNA to pay about 2,500 aides their 2019 salary arrears have created a sharp division between Aides and the management,” he said.
He said that having exhausted the internal dispute resolution mechanism, the forum has resolved to pursue their grievances using all legitimate tools at their disposal
“So, we are presenting our demands to the Speaker of the House of Representative, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, as the boss of our principal and the Senate President.”
Some of the demands of the protesters include the implementation of minimum wage, duty tour allowances and training.
While addressing the forum, Gbajabiamila said that every labourer deserved his wages, adding that the NASS leadership were already looking into it.
“The wages owed since 2019 is not excusable, I will just ask that you are a little bit patient and a little understanding.
“I know that there is a financial constraint but one thing I know is that I will make sure that these things are resolved and your arrears paid.
“We appreciate you for bringing this peacefully to our attention,” he said.
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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