N’Assembly Aides protest death of colleague, say management responsible

Legislative Aides working in the National Assembly have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the non payment of their salaries and allowances, which they claimed, was responsible for the death of one of their own.

Mr. Hassan Abiodun, a Senior Legislative Aide to the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuff, died on Friday, 9th June, 2017, at the University Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, for failure to raise the sum of N165,000 for medical attention.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of the protesting aides, on Tuesday, Barr. Faduba Dayo, said Mr. Abiodun would not have died, if the May salary was paid promptly.

“We just received our May Salary yesterday, Monday 12th June,”, Faduba said.

They accused the National Assembly Management of conniving with SunTtust Bank, where the aides salaries are domiciled, to trade with their salaries, withhold it longer than necessary and cause aides to suffer penury.

The aides unanimoussly agreed that their salary accounts should be moved from SunTrust Bank, which they described as “Microfinance Bank, having only one branch in Abuja”, to another commercial bank, for accessibility.

They also demanded that their salaries be paid as and when due.

Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has summoned the management of National Assembly over the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Hassan Abiodun.

In a chat with his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sanni Onogu, the Senate President was particularly pained over the development and was currently meeting with the management, to bring lasting solutions to the crisis.

As at the time of filing this report, the Deputy Speaker, Yusuff, could not be reached for comments.

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