Commotion emerges as ASCSN intimidate NASS over 2016 budget

Additional set of calamity appears to be developing over the 2016 budget, this time between federal civil servants and members of the National Assembly.

The civil servants under the umbrella of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) are unhappy that the legislature has tampered with budgetary allocation for their welfare, and have threatened to storm and occupy the National Assembly over the matter.

According to them the cut in allocation in the Service Wide Vote where promotion arrears, salary increase and pension were captured, is unacceptable.

The workers made their grievance known in a statement by its Secretary General, Mr. Alade Bashir Lawal, on Thursday adding that plans have been concluded to mobilise workers all over the country to occupy the National Assembly over the cut.

They described the action of the legislatures as insensitive, which the said put the personal interest of members of the Assembly over and above that of majority of Nigerians.

According to the workers, “It is inconceivable that the federal lawmakers have decided to reduce by N28.5 billion the N465 billion voted by the executive arm of government to settle some arrears of allowances owed thousands of civil servants, some of which have been outstanding since 2007,” the union said.

The statement also noted that when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, the union wrote series of letters drawing his attention to these outstanding allowances that had continued to generate restiveness in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, for years.