…..Vow To Work Against Gov. Okowa, Lawmakers In 2019
Following Tuesday protest at the National Assembly by legislative Aides to House of Representatives lawmakers over the demise of one of their colleagues, Mr. Hassan Abiodun, legislative aide to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuff Lasun, resulting from delay in payment of their salaries and allowances, political aides to Delta State House of Assembly members have cried over the nonpayment of their ‘Out Fit’ allowances which has been a normal ritual of the Assembly.
HardReporters investigation however shown that the state Assembly lawmakers political aides are currently leaving in abject poverty and suffering as a result of the huge percentage cut-off from their monthly salaries and nonpayment of their furniture allowance for the past two years.
The aides while grumbling over recent payment of allowances to workers at the Delta State House of Assembly under the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) by governor Ifeanyi Okowa, they expressed disappointment over the non inclusion of their furniture allowance which ought to have been paid since their inception as political aides but technically avoided by the leadership of the Assembly and the state government for the pass two years.
According to the aides, they have resolved and vowed to work against the interest of governor Ifeanyi Okowa and their various bosses at their various wards during the 2019 general elections if their allowances are not paid to them as expected.
“Each of the political aides attached to the lawmakers have strong holds in their various units and wards to work 100% for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in his 2nd term entrance as well as the lawmakers but, should they fail to pay us our allowances they should be prepared for the worse because we shall disappoint them by working against them in our various units and words come 2019. Let’s wait and see, this is not a threat but a promise.”
The Assembly political aides however called on former Governor Chief James Ibori and other well meaning spirited Deltans to help wade into their financial predicaments occasioned by the refusal of the house leadership and the state governor to their allowances which is their constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, speaking on the issue of non-payment of two years’ furniture allowances to aides of lawmakers during last week press briefing to mark the second anniversary of the sixth Assembly, the speaker, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori, said it was not the business of journalists to know what the House was doing about the matter adding that it is the lawmakers’ business what they do to their aides.
