NASS: Anxiety as N9.1 billion legislative aides’ gratuity is missing

Controversy over the whereabouts of N9.1 billion meant to pay severance gratuity of legislative aides of the Eight National Assembly may cause more woes for the hapless aides six months after leaving office.
The amount, according to National Assembly records, was also to cover allowances for the aides of the current assembly.
But 3,466 legislative aides were computed to collect the severance gratuity, while the exact figure of the new aides was not available.
Sunday Sun investigation revealed that the amount was to be sourced from the Service Wide votes, according to the 2019 Appropriation Act.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Ataba Sani Omolori had on September 18, 2018 drew the attention of the Minister of Finance on the need to make provision for the payment of severance gratuity to the then outgoing legislators and their aides, as well as the incoming ones.
Mrs Zainab Ahmed as the Finance minister acknowledged the request and approved that the sum of N14,558,547,160 be released to pay the outgoing lawmakers and N9,090,222, 918 for the aides and for the incoming ones, and also the inauguration of the 9th Assembly.
This money was captured in the 2019 Budget as it was included in the Service Wide Votes.
Money for inauguration of the new Assembly and payment of severance allowances for the lawmakers were released appropriately, while the money to pay the aides were withheld.
This prompted the CNA, Mr Omolori to write the Finance Minister through the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties on May 3, 2019 on the need to approve the release of the money to pay the outgoing legislative aides and the incoming ones.
The aides had staged a protest accusing the management of diverting the money and sought the intervention of the leadership of the National Assembly.
The intervention of the leadership paved the way for a meeting where issues of non-release was resolved with officials of the Ministry and the CNA sent another reminder for the release of the money on November 4, 2019.
Omolori attached relevant document reminding the Minister that the account of the National Assembly was yet to be credited for payment of severance gratuity to the former aides.
National Assembly Director of Information, Dan Zaria confirmed on Friday, December 20, 2019 that the money was not near the Assembly.
“The money has not come, it is not true that the money is here. There is no money that will enter the National Assembly that people will not know.
“Look at their number, they are more than 3,000, some of them have friends in our Finance and Accounts directorate. If such money has entered, you will see documents flying all over because one person would make a photocopy of it and spread it all over,” he stated.
According to him, the management is ready for disbursement immediately the money arrives, noting that a committee raised to ensure a seamless distribution was on ground.
“As soon as the money drops from the Ministry, works on its distribution has reached an advanced stage. The problems with severance gratuity is that it comes up once in four years, it is not the regular vote, we always applied for it.
“That is why we are telling the affected people to have patience instead of spreading rumour and damaging the reputation of the management.
“Yes, it is true that payment is over due, but the fact as at today is that the money has not come, the management and the leadership of the Assembly has done much to get the money out, initially, the Ministry opposed the payment, but the leadership insisted, so people should be patient because the money will be paid when we get it,” Dan Zaria said.
But when the Ministry of Finance was contacted, there was no definite answer that money for payment of severance gratuity to former  legislative aides had been released.
The first reaction from the Ministry was to refer Sunday Sun to the National Assembly to know if the money was with them or not.
But 24 hours later, Special Adviser to the Minister on Media, Mr Tanko Abdulahi said that he was not aware of the issue.
“I just arrive at the airport, I can’t comment on such issue, I don’t even know what you are talking about, but the National Assembly should be able to provide you an answer,” he said.
However, a twist was added to the mystery of the whereabouts of the money to pay the ex-aides as the current aides on Thursday staged a protest at the lobby of the National Assembly, accusing the management of double standard and shortchanging in the payment of allowances due to them
One aide attached to a Bayelsa lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Lawson Oviasoje, told journalists that the management of the National Assembly has “refused to pay legislative aides for six months.
“We resumed work by June and most of us got (salaries) from August, September, the management deliberately delayed the issuance of letters to be able to perpetuate the fraud that they had in mind to do.
“As we speak, nobody has been trained.
“They just brought out a circular for training for LA1 and LA2 for the 23rd and 24th of December meaning that they will have to travel to their families on Christmas day,” he explained.
They were asking where the management got money to pay some aides, while others were yet to be paid.