Sacked staff shut down National Assembly !

Worried by the continuous blockage of the main gate leading to the National Assembly Complex for two days running, by over 4,000 protesting sacked workers of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal on Wednesday addressed them and promised to look into the matter.

The Speaker appealed to them to suspend their protest, promising that their grievances would be addressed.

Last Tuesday, the protesters besieged the National Assembly as early as 8.00a.m beating all the security apparatus to the last gate, thereby preventing vehicular movement in and out of the Complex and also rendering all the security men on guard helpless.

The protesters are among other things demanding the sack of the Director-General of the Commission , Mr Chris Onyenema by the Federal Government, and reinstatement of the over 4,000 sacked workers or payment of their full benefits.

The Speaker, who addressed the protesters in company of some lawmakers and the Clerk to the House, Mr Sanni Omolori Mohammed, had to trek from the National Assembly's main building to the main gate to address them.

"I wish to assure you that before now, the House of Representatives had taken this matter in the Committee of Whole through a petition that was presented by one of you through a member of the House and resolution of the House were passed on this matter, that those of you that have been wrongly disengaged should be re-engage by Federal Government at the various agencies", Tambuwal stated.

According to him, "I also assure you that since the issue of pension is involved, the Committees of the National Assembly on Labour matters, Pensions and Inter Governmental Affairs that oversight the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the supervising office on NIMC, will immediately swing into action to address all your grievances'.

"And based on their findings, we the Leadership of National Assembly and on behalf of Senate President, Senator David Mark, I am giving you that guarantee we will follow up on this matter. Take our word to the bank and give us the opportunity of addressing your grievances", the Speaker stated.

The Chairman, Disengaged Staff of NIMC Nationwide, Mr Ushe Fidelis called on the Speaker to come to their aid by addressing the injustice meted to them by NIMC management.