By Abiola Olawale (The New Diplomat’s Southwest Bureau)
Aggrieved parliamentary workers in Nigeria on Tuesday, embarked on an indefinite strike over the non implementation of the financial autonomy act of 2018 and the Presidential Order 10 of 2020.
The parliamentary workers, under the aegis of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), are demanding the implementation of the Financial Autonomy Act which President Muhammadu Buhari had assented to on May 22, 2019.
Comrade Usman Mohammed, the PASAN national President had announced the commencement of the indefinite strike on Monday while addressing a press conference in Abuja.
According to him, the strike became necessary following the unwillingness of the Federal Government and the State Government to implement the Financial Autonomy Act of 2018 and the Presidential Order 10, 2020, which guaranteed the financial autonomy of the State Legislature and State Judiciary.
However, the Union has now embarked on an indefinite strike after they had initially given the Federal Government 21 days, 14 days and 7 days ultimatums respectively at different times for the implementation of the Financial Autonomy Act.
The New Diplomat’s checks revealed that the agitating Parliamentary staff stormed the House of Assembly complexes in Osun, Oyo Ogun, Jigawa, Imo, among others.
According to reports, the staff of the Oyo State House of Assembly, observe the Nationwide strike. The staff of the state assembly were seen with placards that read: “Give us our autonomy. Enough is enough,” “We say no to executive slavery,” “Legislative arm is a separate arm of government,” “AGF, implement Order 10, 2020,” and “Legislative financial autonomy is a constitutional right,” among severalothers.
Speaking on behalf of the staff, Yemi Alade, Chairman, PASAN Oyo State chapter demanded that the Federal Government and the State Government implement the financial autonomy as it was a provision in Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In his words, “As a staff of the House of Assembly, if there is no true democracy; no independence, it will affect the democracy of the country. It is affecting the entire country, not only the staff of the House of Assembly because the principle of separation of power stipulates that each arm of government must act separately, because if there is no financial autonomy, all other arms of government will be in slavery to the executive arm.”
Similarly, in Jigawa State, the PASAN members who demonstrated at the Jigawa State House of Assembly said they joined the protest following the directive from the national headquarters.
According to Umar Adamu, Chairman, PASAN, Jigawa State Chapter, “All we are demanding is a full implementation of the Financial Autonomy Act, condition of service, consolidated salary and allowances structure and 40 instead of 35 years or 65 instead of 60 years’ retirement age.”
Similarly, the Ogun State Chapter of PASAN, also closed down the state Assembly complex to embark on an indefinite strike.
According to Comrade James Obanla, Chairman, PASAN, Ogun State Chapter, the Union is embarking on the strike as a result of the refusal of the state governors’ to implement the Financial Autonomy act.
He stated that the Ogun assembly staff has joined the Nationwide strike in compliance with the order given by the National body of the Union.
It would be recalled that on May 22, 2020 President Buhari assented the Executive Order No 10 of 2020 which mandates all the states of the federation to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets.
