BY EXCEL CHIMA, HEAD,INVESTIGATIONS/SPECIAL PROJECTS
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| IMO LAWMAKERS |
Those who get paid are given peanuts in the name of salaries which range from N5, 000, N10, 000, N15,000 monthly thus hindering their capacity to perform their functions, INNONEWS.COM has learnt.
One of the aggrieved aides said majority of his colleagues have not even received a dime from their various paymasters since they were sworn in on June 6, 2015.
It was further learnt that most of the lawmakers never bothered to employ such aides, while those who did either pay paltry sums or sack some of them to save cost.
A source in the Assembly told this online newspaper that they (Honourable members) have not received approval to pay such legislative aides because their request for funds in that regard has not been forthcoming.
“Most of the lawmakers are paying the aides they have from their pockets and this is unusual and unacceptable. It was not the case in the past and we wonder why it is now so.
It was observed that even the media department of the House of Assembly headed in the past by a Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker has been balkanized and now co- ordinated by four media aides who are paid irregularly .
A source revealed that despite the re- organization, the Speaker’s media office is poorly underfunded and run by staffers who groan over lack of funds and relevant logistics to carry out their duties.
A source said “Even Newspaper correspondents especially those from the local tabloids have not been given their usual stipends for their transportation for over seven months.
“The monthly funds to carry out the functions of the Speaker’s media office have not been forthcoming for several months and this has greatly hampered the activities of the office.
The Present Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon Acho Ihim was one time chairman of the House Committee on Information during the last Assembly and many had expected him to give full and undiluted support to efforts to ensure effective reportage of the activities of the present Assembly.
INNONEWS.COM was told that the Speaker since he was elected as the number one lawmaker he has not bothered to attend to the needs of the media arm of the House that propagates its activities.
A Journalist who regularly covers the Assembly who spoke to this newspaper said things have really gone awry as they wonder what has gone wrong since the present Assembly came on board in June 2015.
He said “At a time we took our grievances to the Deputy Speaker, Hon Ugonna Ozuruigo who promised to ensure that things become normal again. Despite his assurances to look into the matter, nothing, absolutely nothing has come out of his promise.
This Newspaper was informed that in October 2015, the House witnessed revolt from its administrative staffers encapsulated in the House of Assembly Service Commission over unpaid wages, allowances and salaries.
At a point, the workers embarked on a protest and locked the gates of the Assembly complex which seriously disrupted legislative activities. The intervention of the Speaker and principal officers of the Assembly was not enough to sway the workers to change their hard-line posture.
Though the matter was later resolved amicably after several weeks of negotiations, some government officials frowned that some demands of the Assembly workers such as Hazard allowance were spurious and unimaginable.
A source however told this newspaper that all outstanding issues concerning debts owed “anyone in the Assembly will be sorted out when the 2016 Budget which was presented to the lawmakers on December 30, 2015 by the Governor comes into effect”
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