Abia Assembly shut down as parliamentary workers begin indefinite strike

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

Abia State House of Assembly complex, was Monday shut down as parliamentary workers commenced an indefinite strike over non-implication of financial autonomy.

Members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) in the state, blocked the entrance gate to the State Assembly complex.

The protesting union members prevented everybody from accessing the assembly complex as they displayed placards with various inscriptions, demanding the immediate implementation of financial autonomy.

Addressing newsmen during the protest, Abia PASAN Chairman, Mr Sunday Kalu, said the protest complied with the directive from the national body.

He said that it was also a result of the failure of the state government to domesticate Executive Order 10 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.

Kalu said that the union had embarked on the strike some years back, but later decided to suspend it after negotiation with the government “and up till now nothing has been done.”

According to him, “the union has decided that we embark on indefinite strike, pending when we get a concrete achievement for our members.”

Kalu said that some states had started partial implementation but opined that the process was not fully followed.

He said: “In Abia, we have not gotten the administrative autonomy which is paramount.

“We have Abia State House of Assembly Commission Law that empowers the Assembly to stay on its own administratively.

“We are calling on the State Government to do the needful by constituting the Assembly commission and then the financial autonomy.”

He called on the State Government to quickly heed the demands of the union for the strike to be called off.