The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN has threatened to embark on strike that will shutdown the National Assembly if the revised Conditions of Service for its members are tampered with as being contemplated in some quarters.
National President of the Association, Muhammad Usman who expressed shock at the alleged plot by some persons to truncate the recently passed staff conditions of service being enjoyed by members has called on the Senate President, Ahmed Lawal and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to promptly intervene in the matter.
Usman explained that the new conditions of service were an initiative that the 5th National Assembly Service Commission presented to the 8th National Assembly and it has since been gazetted after passing through the required due process. He said that the new regulations have been in operation since May 2019 and are currently being domesticated at the State Houses of Assembly.
He emphasised that when the proposal was presented to the Senate, Ahmed Lawan who was then the Senate Leader while leading the debate in plenary said at the time that “the reform was necessitated by the overriding need to entrench specialisation, professionalism and quality service delivery that come with years of experience”. Also, in the lower chamber where Femi Gbajabiamila was then the House Leader who led the debate, he acknowledged that “the reform is in line with international best practices borne out of overwhelming evidence from other jurisdictions “
Usman further stated that the Revised Conditions of Service is a product of a long time agitation that should not be tampered with as it guarantees an independent and consolidated service as guaranteed by the National Assembly Service Commission Act (2014).
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
