The National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum, a body of parliamentary staff employed on tenure basis working with lawmakers in the upper and lower legal chambers, on Thursday implicated the Clerk to the National Assembly, Arch. Amos Olatunde Ojo, of diverting the amount of N128 billion suggested for offsetting wage arrears and other contingency allowances.

Resolving the Senate Press Corps on Thursday at a conference in Abuja, Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Salisu Usman Zuru regreted that the 9th National Assembly under the existing leadership has subjected the legal assistants to untold difficulty since 2019.

The group alledged that there was huge corruption and stealing perpetuated by the Clerk, given that there was a budgetary arrangement for offsetting of financial obligations in 2019, but the whereabout of the fund remain a secret.

The aides averred that their wages and defaults ought to have begun with the date of presumption on June 11, 2019, being inauguration day together with their principals, but in a twist, the Arch. Ojo-led NASS management paid some assistants and left others.

The forum revealed that they have checked out all available means to figure out the deadlock without outcomes, even as your home of Representatives at some point ago passed a resolution that all defaults of incomes, allowance and Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) be paid.

Amidst pressure to be paid after the House resolution, the Chairman of the forum, said, a brand-new twist was presented as the CNA informed the NASSLAF executive that there was no money.

The Chairman discussed that the NASSLAF executive was when implicated of compromise because of their company belief of approaching the matter with diplomacy, stressing that it was the ‘compromise belief’ by some members that generated another forum operating under the aegis of “Salary Affected Legislative Aides Forum.”

“In the 2019 Appropriation Act, the amount of N128 billion was appropriated for incomes and overhead for legislators, National Assembly administration and legal aides.

“Legislative assistants’ matters being straight under the office of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of House of Representatives, assistants got the attention and compassion of some of their principals in the House of Representatives to raise the problem and seek break on the floor of the House.

“The concern was raised at the flooring of your house and was all adopted and described the House Services Committee for investigation. The Committee led by Hon Wahab Raji in their report to plenary in July 2020 advised instant payment of all outstanding salary arrears without delay.

“The 9th NASSLAF EXCO have actually been fighting management on these concerns given that inauguration in October 2020 to no avail. Management at first claimed that they have not received the report of the Hon Raji committee mandating it to pay up the defaults.

“Again, EXCO installed pressure on Hon Raji committee to facilitate the transmission of the report to the CNA. On receipt of the report, the next tricks by management was that there was no money.

“All these while, our colleagues have actually concluded that the management of NASSLAF have actually been compromised. This led to the emergence of what is today referred to as the “Salary Affected Legislative Aides”, a pressure group, seemingly, to support the effort of EXCO.”

They further accused the NASS management of not paying minimum wage, adding that the National Assembly Service Commission was also complicit in the predicament of assistants.

But in a quick response through a declaration by the Special Adviser on Media and Labour to the Clerk, Adesoro Tolu Austen, a copy of which was provided to DAILY POST, he dismissed the allegation, explaining it as unfounded and speculative.

He said, NASS management deals with concerns on the basis of priority, adding that the NASSLAF executive must learn to communicate obstacles dealt with by the National Assembly.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Ojo Olatunde Amos, has actually described as baseless speculative and unproven allegations by the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum (NASSLAFF) that the National Assembly Management allegedly diverted and embezzled funds appropriated for Legislative Aides.

He said: “NASSLAFF should find out to tire the internal system for disagreement resolutions as specified in the extant Labour Laws and also pertained to terms with truth of the scarceness of funds confronting the Legislature and the nation with immediate requirement to focus on the generous requirements on ground.”