Staff of National, State Assemblies to begin strike over financial autonomy

Workers in the National and State Assemblies have resolved to embark on a nationwide strike from Wednesday to press home their demand for autonomy of the parliaments.

The workers who came together under the auspices of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) are demanding the immediate implementation of financial autonomy for state assemblies by the governors.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law an Executive Order on financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the country on May 23, 2020.

The order mandates the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from source money due to state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

The workers had similarly protested the governors’ refusal to implement the order on autonomy in the past and issued a 21-day strike notice to press home the demand.

The workers gave the fresh notice in separate letters signed by the acting Secretary General of PASAN, Agugbue Ugochi Happiness, and addressed to the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum; Chairman of the Forum of Speakers and the Department of State Services (DSS).

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The letter was seen by journalists on Monday.

It read: “We refer to our letters dated 18th September 2023 and 7th of October, 2023 on 21 days ultimatum to embark on industrial action if financial autonomy is not implemented in the State Houses of Assembly nationwide by Wednesday, October 18, 2023, and hereby inform you that the leadership of our great union has further extended the ultimatum by one week.

“We, therefore, hope that the extension would further avail ample opportunity to meet the demands of the union and avert the available industrial action.

“We hereby reiterate the union’s preparedness to direct the members to embark on the proposed strike action if its demands are not yielded to.”

Happiness, who addressed journalists on Monday in Abuja, said the decision to shut down parliaments followed the governors’ failure to implement the financial autonomy as provided by the 1999 Constitution.

He said the governors snubbed an ultimatum on the implementation of the autonomy issued by PASAN on September 18.

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