News
Staff welfare: Staff commends NASS management
Staff of the National Assembly have commended its management for making the welfare of workers a priority in the face of lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.
They noted that the leadership and management have match words with action as it affects the payment of salaries and general welfare of the staff of the parliament despite the negative effect of the current coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking with CAPITAL POST by some members of Staff, who don’t want their names mentioned, they appreciated the efforts of President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Omolori for their concerted efforts in ensuring that salaries and other welfare issues of the staff were insulated from any shocks that the coronavirus pandemic may cause.
They also acknowledged that the leadership of the National Assembly, despite the shutdown of both the Assembly Complex and the FCT has been relentless in various interventions that brothers on national issues.
Some of the critical areas the leadership has intervened include the persecution of Nigerians in China, improving of electricity supply to Nigerians while the lockdown lasts, the expansion to accommodate more vulnerable Nigerians in the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) component of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) as well as giving legal framework to various emergency intervention programmes of the federal government.
In a telephone interview with the Director of Public Affairs of the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, said that the management of the Assembly had continued to prioritise the welfare of the staff as part of the reform efforts to increase productivity of Assemblywoman.
“Staff welfare is top priority for the management. In fact, on April salary, our staff started receiving their salaries since Thursday this week.
“We made all the necessary arrangement with Sun Trust Bank to ensure that our staff were paid their salaries seamlessly even while they are at home,” the director said.
Speaking further, Dr. Danzaria explained that the National Assembly management has continued to ensure the payment of the salaries of its staff between 24th and 25th of every month, assuring that the Clerk to Assembly was determined to ensure that the progress made so far is sustained and continuously improved upon.
He revealed that as part of the NASS management efforts to ensure that all staff of the Assembly works in a safe and secure environment, the entire complex has already been fumigated and decontaminated against the coronavirus or any other virus that may pose any danger to staff, parliamentarians and visitors to the complex.
It will be recalled that immediately the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Nigeria, the National Assembly through its Directorate of Medical Services immediately swung into action in production and distribution of hand sanitisers to all offices in the complex as a first line effort to protect its staff from the virus.
The National Assembly was shut down by the management on March 24th as a precautionary measure to forestall a possible spread of the coronavirus to the expansive complex.
Only top management staff, medical staff and others in essential services are currently allowed into the complex. There has not been any COVID-19 case linked to the National Assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Thursday said, requirements for recalling Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central Senatorial District were lacking in the petition.
In a statement to update circumstances surrounding a purported petition against Natasha, the INEC said, it has rejected the petition.
The Commission said, Natasha is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and there are requirements to recall her or any other Senator, but it cannot consider the petitions that lack merits.
Earlier the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, acknowledged receipt of petition against the embattled lawmaker from her constituents after submitting it to the INEC headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central Senatorial District was the former Chairman of Senate Committee on Local Contents, but was suspended from the Senate over alleged breach of Senate Standing Rules.
Natasha disclosed that she has approached the Court to quash her suspension which she claimed was illegal.
According to the petitioners, over 250,000 constituents’ signed the petition, out of about 480,000 registered voters in the senatorial district.
The petition was titled Constituents’ Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Grounds of Loss of Confidence’.
In a brief statement on Thursday, the Commission said, “The petition for the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
The female lawmaker also on Tuesday defied ban by Kogi State Government and visited her Senatorial District in what she said, was a Sallah visit to felicitate with those who gave her their mandate.
Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), have arrested two principal suspects involved in the killing of 16 Nigerians of Northern extraction in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government last week.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the DSS in Uromi, following credible intelligence. Operatives of various security agencies are hunting for other key suspects involved in the unfortunate incidents
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, had on Monday in Kano State, during a condolence visit, revealed that 14 suspects had already been arrested in connection with the killing.
Governor Okpebholo who visited the State to condole with the Government and families of the victims, had vowed that justice will be served and those involved in the killing will be brought to justice.
Governor Okpebholo had also assured families of the victims that adequate compensations will be paid.
In the latest development, the two principal suspects arrested by officials of the DSS, have been transferred to Abuja, the nation’s capital, for further interrogation and prosecution by the relevant authorities.
A Nigerian televangelist, Timothy Omotoso has been acquitted of rape after spending eight years in prison in South Africa.
Trouble started when the televangelist was accused of raping young women from his South African church, an accusation he denied when he was arrested eight years ago.
His trial was aired live I South Africa and gained interest across the country, but insisted that he was not guiltynof 32-count charges against him.
In 2018, one witness told the court she had been raped by the pastor – who ran a church in the city of Port Elizabeth – when she was 14 years old.
The presiding judge on Wednesday 1st April, 2025 delivered judgement, saying Pastor Timothy Omotoso has not bèn found guilty over this case because prosecutors had mishandled the case.
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) shared a similar assessment, saying that “former prosecutors in the case acted improperly and the accused were not sufficiently cross-examined by the state”.
The NPA said it will now “consider its legal options”.
For his part, Mr Omotoso told the media he thanked God for the verdict.
His co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, were also found not guilty.
Mr Omotoso was dramatically arrested at an airport in 2017 as he sought to leave the country.
His trial was the first prominent rape case to be broadcast live in a country where sexual violence is rampant.
The hearings attracted huge interest, and raised difficult questions about victims’ rights, impartiality and whether justice is best served by having television cameras in courtrooms.
Following Wednesday’s verdict, Mr Omotoso will be deported to Nigeria, South African media outlet News24 reported.
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