The House of Representatives has urged the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to cause the management of the National Assembly to immediately pay legislative aides’ 28 days allowances, and other pending benefits.
The call was contained in the report of the Hon. Olawale Tasir Raji-led House Services Committee, which investigated the nonpayment of salaries and allowances of legislative aides, including their statutory 28 day entitlements.
The committee in its report laid before the House Tuesday said: “The National Assembly Service Commission should direct the Management of the National Assembly to pay all the legislative aides their allowance for the first 28 days and arrears of unpaid salaries with effect from the date of their assumption of office as confirmed by their principals i.e. Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members”.
It also expressed dissatisfaction with the practice where workers’ emolument duly appropriated for and released to the management would not be paid, leaving family men and women (aides) in the services of lawmakers at the mercy of staff.
“This recommendation is based on the fact that adequate budgetary provisions were made in both 2019 and 2020, and funds released on first line charge basis for the payment of salaries and allowances of Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, together with their respective legislative aides”, the report stated.
In its findings, the committee said all legislative aides are accorded the status of public servants temporarily appointed to serve for a stipulated period, usually four years.
“Legislative Aides of the National Assembly is accorded with the status of a public servants employed in a short term capacity or on contract basis under the Labour Act (1974), the Public Service Rules 2008 and the National Assembly Service Act 2014.
“Based on the documents submitted to the committee which included the payroll of salary structure/scale and record payment of salary and allowances of all the legislative aides from June 2019 to May 2020 and the pay slips of the legislative aides submitted by the zonal leaders of NASSLAF, it was evident that not all the legislative aides were paid their salaries and allowances with effect from the date of assumption of duty nor were their arrears paid,” the panel stated.
