Ex-lawmakers’ aides protest alleged diversion of N10.6bn pay
Former legislative aides to senators and members of the House of Representative in the 7th National Assembly on Tuesday protested the alleged diversion of their N10.6bn Severance and Duty Tour Allowance.
The protesters, under the aegis of the 7th Senate Legislative Aides’ Forum, specifically alleged that the National Assembly Management had diverted the N10.6bn meant for their Severance and Duty Tour Allowance which was reflected in the supplementary budget assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari in December, 2015.
Their spokesperson, Mr. Afo Godwin, told journalists at the National Assembly gate that security operatives stopped them from taking their protests to the Assembly Complex.
Godwin, on behalf of the forum, lamented the non-payment of their allowances despite repeated assurances from the management.
He alleged that the information available to his members indicated that the funds which had been diverted to what “we later learnt was a priority of NASS management.”
Godwin, who was the head of domestic aides to former Senate President, David Mark, said there was no communication between them and the NASS management.
He said, “You can see that we are here in our numbers, but they refused us entry despite explaining to them that we are here for peace.”
Another member of the forum, who identified himself as Alhaji Sule Bagudu from Kebbi State, also insisted that the money meant for them was diverted.
Bagudu said, “They have diverted this money to another project and that is why we are here.”
He lamented that arrears of allowances stood at N7.6bn, but that N10.6bn was approved and wondered why allowances of their principals in the 7th National Assembly had been cleared while their own remained unpaid.