Like the sometimes peculiar situation where people metaphorically wash their faces with spittle while living by the ocean, legislative aids of the Rivers State House of Assembly are languishing without pay while their principals smile along with plenty to splash.
Information reaching our news desk has it that, the Rivers State government is owing the Rivers State House of Assembly legislative aids seven months salaries.
The aggrieved Aids who prefer to be anonymous for obvious reasons, told The Newswriter that they are on the verge of embarking on strike as their contributions seemed to be deteriorating by the months, with no sign of their salaries being paid to them.
This has made the sorrowful legislative Aids sit in clusters putting their ideas together on possible ways of going about the whole issue to see that they are paid. They said their families are suffering as there is no money to take care of their families and themselves.
The hungry legislative aids are appealing to well-meaning Rivers State indigenes to help them broker peace between the state government who is their employer and them, so that they will not die of hunger like pensioners, who are always on the begging end before their pension dues are paid to them. Many of the pensioners have joined their ancestors because of the terrible situation they are put across while waiting to be paid for their labour and efforts, they said, pleading that they should not be treated in the same way.
Crying for help, they appealed to the state government not to subject them to old age and untimely death.
The embattled legislative aids explained that the constitution stipulated that all legislative aids’ salaries come from the state government as obtainable with the Honourable legislators representing their various constituencies in the state
Lamenting seriously on the development, they in groups, stated that while the legislators are receiving their monthly salaries, they are left out from the policy of receiving their monthly salaries for seven months now.
Their salaries, they said, are insignificant when compared with the huge salaries and allowances of the legislators and wondered at the anomaly. ###
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
