Workers shut Benue House over N63m allowance

MAKURDI—Benue State branch of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN, yesterday, barricaded the entrance to the Benue State House of Assembly in protest over the non-payment of over N63 million outfit allowances owed its members for four years by the leadership of the House.

The protesting parliamentary staff locked up the main entrance to the Assembly and offices as early as 6am.

Some of them carried placards which read: Ours is a story of toils, tears and sweat; N63 divided by 200 staff multiplied by four years equals peanut, apparently comparing the outstanding allowances to what the legislators earned.

Speaking to newsmen on their grievances, Benue State Chairman of PASAN, Mr. Bem Mela regretted that the leadership of the Assembly has refused to honour the agreements reached over three months ago following series of negotiations on the need to pay them their wardrobe allowance. He said this was what prompted the national body’s intervention in the matter.

While addressing the workers, Speaker of the state Assembly Mr. Terhemen Tarzoor, blamed the situation on the poor allocation of fund to the state from the Federation Account.

He said: “I had discussed the issue with the State Executive Council but the problem is that the Federation Account which the state wholly depends did not hold its regular meeting.”

Tarzoor also blamed the situation on the political class, but assured the workers that the matter would be solved in two days. All entreaties by the Speaker to the workers to go back to work failed as they told him that they would not return to their offices until the money was paid.

The incident also attracted the attention of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Obiako who takes that route on his way to work.

Obiakor called the Speaker aside and reminded him on the ban on public procession and urged the leadership of PASAN to disperse their members.

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By Peter Duru 

Vanguard