Hooded men of the Department of State Security, DSS and police on Monday took over the security of the National Assembly Complex after parliamentary staff staged a protest demanding for their unpaid allowances for 18 months.
Reports have it that the parliamentary workers had issued a notice on the strike hinged on a memorandum of understanding, MoU signed in 2019.
The placards carrying protesters shut down all the entrances into the building singing solidarity songs with placards of graffiti bearing “Pay Us Our MOU.”
The workers under the auspices of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) had last week Thursday sent a letter to the Department of State Service and the Nigeria Police Force notifying them of their intention to commence an industrial strike and picket the federal parliament on Monday.
They accused the management of the National Assembly of failure to honour a memorandum of understanding entered into by the two parties.
Some of their demands include; Payment of 50 percent balance of Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS), Five months CONPECULIAR Allowances, Immediate Release of Year 2022 Training Template and Evidence of Provision of Gratuity for retiring staff, End of the Year Bonus and payment of Promotion Arrears to Deserving Workers.
The protesters also vowed picket the National Assembly Service Commission on Tuesday.
But armed operatives of the DSS and police have taken over the security architecture of complex to avoid the breakdown of law and order.
Some of the hooded operatives were seen in two hilux vehicles at the entrance of the building.
