Adoye Iyalla, Port Harcourt
The Parliamentary staff Association of Nigeria [PASAN] Rivers State House of Assembly chapter has appealed to the Committee on House of Assembly Service Commission to amend its tenure of the union members to 5 years.Members of the association currently last 4 years in office .
Clerk of the State of House Assembly, Mr. Emmanuel Ogele disclosed this while delivering his presentation during the ‘Public Hearing of the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Law [Amendment] Bill 2012’ at the Assembly Auditorium on Friday in Port Harcourt.
Ogele maintained that the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission Law No.
4 of 1999 which has been in existence was amended in 2004. He stated that the office of the Clerk does not have a specific function saying there is no law backing its statutory duties as member of the House.He used the forum to thank the sponsor of the amendment, Hon [Barr.] Chidi Julius Lioyd for his vision and bold steps towards that fruitful direction in the system.
Speaking the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Azubuike Wanjoku Chikere urged stakeholders to make good suggestion to the beneficial to the Assembly and the country at large.Hon. Golden Chioma in his contribution narrated that the State Assembly would not do anything outside the ‘National Assembly Service Commission.
Representative of the PASAN reiterated that the salaries, allowance and fringe benefits of the Chairman and members of the Commission should be as applicable with those of the chairman and members of the civil Service Commission and Judicial Service Commission as provided for in the Rivers State Public and Political Office holders Salaries allowances and fringe benefits [Amendment] Law, 2007.
The Rivers PASAN Chairman, Mr. Okeleke Louis said every arm carries out its functions independently, therefore the process should start from here saying the organization is in support of the 5 year tenure.Louis further indicated that the office of the Assembly Clerk be made equivalent of the Head of Service in the State.He suggested that subject to Section 8 of this Law, the Commission shall, apart from the office of the Clerk of the House, determine the remuneration, grading and other terms and conditions of service of staff of the House of Assembly and shall ensure that such remuneration, grading and other terms and conditions are kept broadly in line with those applicable to other employees in the State Civil Service.
