The management of the National Assembly has warned its workers against plans to picket the legislative complex, describing the move as a potential threat to national security and a disruption to legislative activities.
The warning follows a notice from the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), National Assembly chapter, which had announced plans to protest alleged fraud, unpaid allowances, and interference in union affairs.
In a circular signed by the Secretary of Human Resources and Staff Development, Essien Eyo Essien, the management accused two staff members — Odo Chris, a Grade Level 13 officer in the Senate, and Abiola Yusuf Mohammed, a Grade Level 9 officer in the Human Resources Directorate — of mobilising colleagues under the banner of “Concerned PASAN Members” to instigate unrest.
According to the circular, intelligence reports indicated that the individuals were collaborating with persons within and outside the legislature to incite industrial action.
“Security reports at our disposal disclose that these persons are mobilising and inciting staff to engage in an unlawful action termed ‘picketing’. If this plan is carried out, it is capable of disrupting legislative activities, which in our opinion constitutes a threat to national security,” the circular read in part.
The management alleged that the agitation aims to compel it to dissolve the PASAN National Assembly chapter, describing the move as an attempt to destabilise internal harmony.
It further claimed that previous efforts to resolve the dispute amicably — including interventions by the Registrar of Trade Unions and the Minister of Labour — were obstructed by the same individuals.
The circular also accused the group of submitting “frivolous petitions” with unverified signatures to both chambers of the National Assembly, containing unsubstantiated allegations of mismanagement of union funds and other claims.
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