National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum Faces Leadership Crisis Over Alleged Deductions
By Queen Madaki for The Bureau News
The Bureau News reports that tension is mounting within the National Assembly as members of the Legislative Aides Forum in the 10th Assembly accuse their leadership of financial impropriety, lack of transparency, and deliberate disregard for the forum’s constitution.
Multiple sources told The Bureau News that the current executives of the forum have allegedly been deducting monthly dues from aides’ salaries without convening a Congress or providing explanations on how the funds are being used. According to the forum’s constitution, the Congress remains the highest decision-making organ — yet it has not been convened since the start of the current Assembly.
One legislative aide, who requested anonymity, lamented the opaque handling of members’ funds. “We have no issues with paying dues if that’s what the deductions are called,” he said. “But who is deducting our money? Where is it going? There’s been no Congress, no accountability, and for four months, these deductions have continued without explanation.”
Rising Numbers and Lack of Transparency
According to insider accounts, the official number of legislative aides in the National Assembly is 1,345 — five aides per senator and five per member of the House of Representatives. However, the source revealed that unofficial appointments have raised the figure to over 5,000 aides, prompting speculation that deductions may be affecting even those not formally on the payroll.
When contacted by The Bureau News, the forum’s Public Relations Officer dismissed the allegations as “unfounded and false,” insisting there was “no such case of illegal deductions or financial misconduct.”
Leadership Denial Amid Mounting Concerns
Despite the denials, members remain skeptical. Some confirmed that monthly deductions have continued under the claim that the directive came from the National Assembly management, not the forum’s executives. “They said it’s management’s instruction,” one aide explained. “We let it slide for peace to reign, believing that an association needs funds to operate. But the question is, where is the money?”
An internal probe revealed that the deducted funds are reportedly domiciled in an account controlled by the National Assembly management rather than the forum itself — a situation aides have described as “a gross violation of trust.”
Allegations of Financial Impropriety in the 10th Assembly
Analysts told The Bureau News that the case underscores broader concerns over transparency and governance at Nigeria’s legislative arm. “If an internal aides’ forum cannot maintain accountability, it mirrors the deeper systemic issues of financial mismanagement in the Assembly,” said one political analyst based in Abuja.
As of press time, the leadership of the aides’ forum has yet to release an official statement detailing the total deductions or the current status of the funds. The Bureau News will continue monitoring developments around the controversy.
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Source: https://thebureau.com.ng/nigeria-news-today-national-assembly-legislative-aides-forum-crisi/
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