The National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) has been urged to address the demands of 221 National Assembly (NASS) staff recruited in 2018 who have allegedly been captured in every budget since 2019 but has never been paid.
The 221 individuals demanded for the documentation and assumption of duties as legally employed staff by the commission since 2018 as permanent and pensionable staff.
In a letter dated November 10, 2021 and signed by Marshal Abubakar, for Falana & Falana’s Chambers, legal counsel to the parties, and address to the Executive Chairman, NASC, the aggrieved 2018 employees asked that unless the foregoing demands are met 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter, a legal action would commence against the Commission at the National Industrial Court to seek legal redress.
The 221 aggrieved 2018 employees said they were legally employed by the Commission since 2018 into the National Assembly Service as permanent and pensionable staff via various letters of appointment duly issued and dated the July 2, 2018 and placed on Salary with effect from date of assumption of duty being the August 1, 2018 but are yet to assume duties.
The letter read that the aggrieved 2018 employees duly accepted the offer and did their National Assembly Service Commission screening, in the month of July 2018, and were called for screening at the National Assembly Annex. Upon a satisfactory and successful screening exercise, they said, they were assured that they would be called to resume their duty posts.
Acting upon the engagement, some of the 221 persons disengaged from all activities likely to hinder their ability to resume and function well at the National Assembly.
According to the letter, some of them even resigned previous appointments, some of them deferred admissions, while some of them rejected other job offers and with quite a number of them domiciled in cities outside Abuja said they sold and auctioned their properties, while few others borrowed funds and relocated to Abuja in other to be close to their work station.
The letter addressed to the NASC Chairman, read: “We are not oblivious of the candid and noble efforts the Commission under your Noble Leadership has put in to ensure a resolution of this apparent injustice and mistreatments meted out to these young Nigerians who are unduly denied their rights and entitlements- of particular significance is the Ad-hoc committee; set up by the Commission to conduct a fact finding investigation into the reason (s) for the non-assumption of duty by the 2018 legally recruited staff of the commission.
“This committee was headed by Senator Julius Ucha (South-East Zone) who did a thorough job by inviting the past executives headed by Alhaji Adamu Fika, former commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission (Olusanya Ajakaiye), former Clerk of National Assembly (Sani Omolori), top management staff from both National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and National Assembly Service (NASS), other staff that played a role in the recruitment exercise and representatives of the aggrieved recruited staff, our clients inclusive.
“Upon exhaustive deliberations, the committee unanimously resolved that this aggrieved recruited staff were the legally recruited staff by the immediate past executives of the commission and concluded that “the management of the National Assembly has no tangible reason whatsoever not to absorb the recruited staff.
“It is also our further brief that our clients were further-documented in September 2020 at the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), and they were all issued file numbers as evidence. Upon the fact contained in the present paragraph the Commission instructed our Clients to resume at the National Assembly Service on 2nd November, 2020 to collect posting to their various offices.
“After traveling from various locations and converging for documentation/resumption on the 2nd November, 2020, the clerk of the National Assembly Service, Mr Ojo Amos Olatunde halted them again for reasons best known to him,” the letter read.
The aggrieved 2018 employees insisted on the firm belief that their salaries and other entitlements the Commission engaged has been captured in the yearly budgets since the year 2018.
“However, in view of the supremacy of the Commission under your able leadership over all its employees particularly as encapsulated in Sections 2 (1), 6 and 19 of the National Assembly Service Act, Cap A17, we are compelled to urge you to use your good offices in ensuring an expeditious and conclusive determination of the issues addressed in this correspondence,” the letter also read.
The aggrieved 2018 employees demanded that their salaries, allowances and entitlements from 2018 till date be paid in full thirty days (30) days from the date of receipt of the instant correspondence.
That they should be individually promoted to the rank that is associated with the years reflective of the date they were recruited being August, 2018 and in accordance with the Public Service rules and terms and conditions of service as applicable.
That they be immediately posted to their various offices/departments so as to enable them contribute effectively towards the development of the National Assembly and the country.
