Members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria has on Monday begun a nationwide protest to protest the non-implementation of financial autonomy for state Houses of Assembly as the Houses of Assembly in Edo and Katsina States have been shut down as at press time.
The Chairman of PASAN Edo state Chapter, Umaru Farouk Haruna, said the national president of PASAN, Comrade Mohammed Usman, gave the directive for the nationwide protest, adding that he had asked all chairmen and secretaries to mobilise members for maximum compliance.
Haruna said the Edo State House of Assembly was carrying on with the instruction of the national president as the Edo State House of Assembly has been shut down on Monday just as the Edo PASSAN has disallowed the lawmakers from entering the chamber.
He said the nationwide peaceful protest was being complied with by Edo State PASAN members after the expiration the two-day ultimatum given to the government and governors of the 36 states to implement autonomy in all legislative Houses of the country, which was further extended by one week and ended October 27, 2023.
“The issue of autonomy is a constitutional matter. You know it has been passed by the National Assembly and was assented to by the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari.
“All we need is for the government to start implementation. But as we speak today, nothing has been done. The 36 states of Houses of Assembly, you can call them rubber stamps. They can’t stand on their feet simply because they are not autonomous. We are not just fighting for the staff; we are fighting to deepen the dividends of democracy for Nigerians,” Haruna said.
The Chairman of the association in Katsina, Alhaji Isah Isma’il-Kanki, said there is 100 per cent compliance by its members.
Isma’il-Kanki said part of the reasons for the strike was the non-review of conditions of service for the parliamentary staff and non-implementation of Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS).
He said the parliamentary workers in some states are also seeking the establishment of a state assembly commission to ensure the welfare of their members.
“But in Katsina here, we don’t have that issue of assembly commission, because we already have it in existence,” Isma’il-Kankia said.
