Crisis Looms In National Assembly As Staff Vows To Resist Inter-Service Transfer

Crisis is looming in the National Assembly as workers are threatening to resist inter-service transfer.

This is even as the workers have exposed alleged sharing of 13 508 Peugeot vehicles and 14 Toyota Hilux vehicles worth over N400 million.

One of the staff, who spoke with Sunday INDEPENDENT at the National Assembly complex, said the alleged move by the Secretary, National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), and Clerk of National Assembly (CNA) to do the inter-service transfer was contrary to the Act establishing the commission.

Describing the move as victimisation, the staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the NASC Secretary, Olusanya Ajakaiye, planned to hand over power of the Commission to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Omolori, to perform the function of the board.

Few weeks ago, the tenure of the NASC board members expired, creating a vacuum in the commission.

The duty of the commission, it was gathered, included to appoint, recruit, promote and discipline all staff of the National Assembly Service, including the Clerk.

The source alleged further that the agenda behind the inter-service transfer was to render Clerks of committees and some directors redundant by bringing them to the commission.

The source said: “The Secretary will start his pre-retirement leave by May, 2019, which is less than a year and wants to make sure that nobody who is not in his good records would be in contention for the office of the Secretary to the Commission.

“The Secretary and the Clerk want to use the absence of the board to destroy the structure and powers of the commission on the ground that some members of staff liaised with the past commissioners to stop their quest for the elongation of additional five years in service.”

The source said that some members of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) of National Assembly had vowed to resist the move, insisting that it was only the commission’s board that had the power to decide on the issue and other policy matters affecting the staff, as such had never been done since the inception of the commission.

In some documents made available to Sunday INDEPENDENT on the distribution of cars, it was noted that the 508 Peugeot vehicles bought in December 2017, were purchased at a unit cost of N18,557,700, while the cost of the Toyota Hilux vehicles was not disclosed.

Ajakaiye, the commission secretary, in a letter to the Director, Procurement and General Services, Ibecheozor Patricia, titled ‘Extract from minutes of the Commission’s 484th meeting: Release of Toyota Hilux and 508 Peugeot Motor Vehicles,’ had requested that the vehicles be made available to the chairman and members of the commission.

The letter reads: “At it 484th meeting held on Wednesday, 26th July, 2018, the commission approved that letter of release of the Toyota Hilux and 508 Peugeot Motor Vehicles be issued to the chairman and members of the commission.

“Above is an extract of the minutes of the 484th meeting of the commission for your information and further necessary action.”

In her reply to the Secretary, the Director, Procurement and General Services said, “Please, recall that the Hilux vehicles are in the process of being auctioned and it is the duty of the auctioneer to issue receipts to successful candidates when all payments have been made as evidence in the treasury receipts.

“Concerning the 508 Peugeot vehicles, please recall that the vehicles were bought December 2017 at the unit cost of N18,557,700.00 (Eighteen million, five hundred and fifty-seven thousand, seven hundred naira) and there are procedures for disposing government vehicles.

“However, in line with the said extract, you may wish to approve the release of the fourteen (14) Hilux and thirteen (13) 508 Peugeot vehicles (lists of Hilux and 508 Peugeot vehicles are attached herewith) to Chairman and members of the Commission.”

In one of the documents signed by Patricia, one of the commissioners from North Central, Elder Stephen Yepwi, got a Peugeot 508 vehicle with registration No: CMM 07 FL and chassis No: VF38D5FCAGL033144 and the recipient acknowledged the letter.

The source said that due process was not followed in the allocation of the vehicles to the commissioners, who had finished their tenure in the commission.

Ajakaiye, secretary to the commission, in his reaction, said that the commission did not contravene the Public Service Rule.

Newsflash Nigeria is an online newspaper that is developed and written exclusively for Nigerians. It’s packed with up-to-the-minute Local and National Economy News, Share & Capital Market, Health, Sports, Education, Technology, Business and Opinions.

To make further advert enquiries or place an order, please contact us at [email protected] and +2348053316946 and WhatsApp number 08033546732