Aides of legislators of the 8th National Assembly have called for a probe of alleged diversion of fund meant to pay their allowances by their bosses.
The call was made in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The legislative aides also sent copies of the petition to security agencies and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC.
Operating under the aegis of Concerned Legislative Aides of the 8th National Assembly, they appealed to the president to order a probe into the non-payment of their allowances.
The statement was signed by Chinedu Nwokeukwu and Sunday Chuba.
The aides drew attention to SunTrust Bank, the micro-finance institution used in their payment, and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Omolori.
They accused Omolori of covering up the case of diversion of funds against the legislators.
Said the group: “We are reliably informed, Your Excellency that the Presiding Officers of the 8th National Assembly are using the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Omolori to cover the alleged diversion of our entitlements and allowances.
“The said clerk should have proceeded on pre-retirement leave on November, 2018 having attained the mandatory 60 years and 35 years of service.
“He was allegedly served a letter to that effect by the Office of Head of Service of the Federation.
“There is scheme to add an additional five years to the tenure of the clerk by adding a provision to the Report of the Conference Committee on the Reviewed Conditions of Service in the National Assembly Service before both chambers of the 8th National Assembly.”
The group added: “It may also interest Your Excellency to note the use of SunTrust Bank – a bank with only two branches in Nigeria and the unbridled employment of Special Assistants by Presiding Officers as tools used in siphoning our legitimate allowances and entitlements.
“The shareholding of SunTrust Bank should be thoroughly investigated while the exact numbers of special advisers, special assistants and legislative aides of the presiding officers of the 8th National Assembly examined for possibility of fake and ghost names.”
It would be recalled that the legislative aides had at different times protested non-payment of their allowances.
Although the leadership of the National Assembly said it had intervened, the crisis is yet to be resolved.
