Saraki, Dogara hire 282 aides
The National Assembly management has
requested the presiding officers to reduce the
number of their aides by at least 60 percent as
part of cost cutting measures, Daily Trust learnt
yesterday.
Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker
of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara
and their deputies have hired over 400 aides,
sources said.Saraki is said to have over 112 aides, Dogara
about 170, Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu 60 and Deputy Speaker Yusuf
Suleiman Lasun 58.
But the assembly bureaucracy has lately asked
the presiding officers and their deputies to reduce
the figures drastically.
Sources said Saraki and Dogara have been
requested to cut down the numbers to 25 each
while Ekweremadu and Lasun should have 17
each.
The aides are in three categories - Special Advisers
(SAs), Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special
Assistants whose salaries range between N700,
000 to over a million naira each.
The special advisers earn about the same salaries
as federal permanent secretaries while the others
earn higher than directors in federal government
establishments.
Daily Trust reports that two weeks ago over
N10bn was paid as severance package to Senate
and House legislative aides that served in the
seventh assembly. The severance pay was 300
percent of their annual basic salary.
In January, the presiding officers met with the
National Assembly management on how to cut
down on expenditures.
Sources said the management intimated the
presiding officers that they could not guarantee
regular payment of salaries to such aides,
especially when most of them were placed on
higher grade levels.
Daily Trust findings revealed that the salaries of
all the political appointees have not been paid
since January.
It was gathered that the last time the aides
collected their salaries was in December.
Most of the aides are said to have little or even
nothing to do. They hang around the National
Assembly complex or stay in their colleagues’
offices as they have no offices of their own.
A source close to the office of the Senate
President explained that most of the
appointments were mere ‘political patronage.’
“The appointments are political patronages; it is
an avenue to settle supporters politically. Most of
them will be collecting salaries without doing
anything.
“I know only last week two persons were
recruited. They showed me their employment
letters,” he said.
Daily Trust also gathered that about 50 percent of
the aides are former lawmakers who served with
Dogara during the last 7th Assembly.
Most of them were said to have been rewarded
for their support to Dogara, while a few others
were nominated by some close friends to the
speaker.
“The truth of the matter is that he (Dogara) made
so many appointments. He has different manner
of aides.”
A top management staff, who preferred
anonymity, told Daily Trust that it was true that
the speaker over-employed.
It was gathered that the National Assembly
management made two suggestions to the
speaker on how to manage the situation.
The management told Dogara to demote most of
the special advisers to senior special assistants,
while majority of the senior special assistants
should be demoted to personal assistants
otherwise the only option would be to sack most
of the appointees.
When contacted, peaker’s spokesman, Turaki
Hassan, referred our correspondent to the
National Assembly management, saying it was
purely a management issue.
The Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Saraki,
Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu referred our
correspondent to the Chief of Staff, Senator Isa
Galaudu.
However, when Olaniyonu took our
correspondent to Galaudu he declined comment.
Also, the the Director of Information in the
National Assembly Mr Ishaku Dibal said he was
not aware of the matter, but that he would
contact his superiors and get back to our
correspondent. He never did.
Former Senate President David Mark was
reported to have sacked 120 aides in June last
year when he lost his position after his party
became a minority.
It was gathered that the former speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal, had over 100 aides during his time.
A look at the reviewed remuneration package for
the legislature at the federal, state and local
government levels, Volume II, 2007 by the
Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC) showed that a presiding
officer of the National Assembly is entitled to two
types of office aides - special assistants and
personal assistants.
For the special assistant, the commission provides
that “In recognition of the need for this provision,
it is hereby retained; the personnel shall be
provided by the National Assembly Service
Commission and shall be within GL 12 and 14
levels.”
As for personal assistants, it said: “The existing
25% of the annual basic salary shall be
maintained. This is to enable the office holders
employ personal assistants of their choice.”
The document by the commission indicates that a
presiding officer is also entitled to four domestic
staff - a cook, a steward, a gardener and a
housekeeper.
For the domestic staff, it said: “An allowance of
75% of the annual basic salary shall be made
payable on a monthly basis to affected officers to
cater for the emoluments of four staff.”
requested the presiding officers to reduce the
number of their aides by at least 60 percent as
part of cost cutting measures, Daily Trust learnt
yesterday.
Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker
of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara
and their deputies have hired over 400 aides,
sources said.Saraki is said to have over 112 aides, Dogara
about 170, Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu 60 and Deputy Speaker Yusuf
Suleiman Lasun 58.
But the assembly bureaucracy has lately asked
the presiding officers and their deputies to reduce
the figures drastically.
Sources said Saraki and Dogara have been
requested to cut down the numbers to 25 each
while Ekweremadu and Lasun should have 17
each.
The aides are in three categories - Special Advisers
(SAs), Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special
Assistants whose salaries range between N700,
000 to over a million naira each.
The special advisers earn about the same salaries
as federal permanent secretaries while the others
earn higher than directors in federal government
establishments.
Daily Trust reports that two weeks ago over
N10bn was paid as severance package to Senate
and House legislative aides that served in the
seventh assembly. The severance pay was 300
percent of their annual basic salary.
In January, the presiding officers met with the
National Assembly management on how to cut
down on expenditures.
Sources said the management intimated the
presiding officers that they could not guarantee
regular payment of salaries to such aides,
especially when most of them were placed on
higher grade levels.
Daily Trust findings revealed that the salaries of
all the political appointees have not been paid
since January.
It was gathered that the last time the aides
collected their salaries was in December.
Most of the aides are said to have little or even
nothing to do. They hang around the National
Assembly complex or stay in their colleagues’
offices as they have no offices of their own.
A source close to the office of the Senate
President explained that most of the
appointments were mere ‘political patronage.’
“The appointments are political patronages; it is
an avenue to settle supporters politically. Most of
them will be collecting salaries without doing
anything.
“I know only last week two persons were
recruited. They showed me their employment
letters,” he said.
Daily Trust also gathered that about 50 percent of
the aides are former lawmakers who served with
Dogara during the last 7th Assembly.
Most of them were said to have been rewarded
for their support to Dogara, while a few others
were nominated by some close friends to the
speaker.
“The truth of the matter is that he (Dogara) made
so many appointments. He has different manner
of aides.”
A top management staff, who preferred
anonymity, told Daily Trust that it was true that
the speaker over-employed.
It was gathered that the National Assembly
management made two suggestions to the
speaker on how to manage the situation.
The management told Dogara to demote most of
the special advisers to senior special assistants,
while majority of the senior special assistants
should be demoted to personal assistants
otherwise the only option would be to sack most
of the appointees.
When contacted, peaker’s spokesman, Turaki
Hassan, referred our correspondent to the
National Assembly management, saying it was
purely a management issue.
The Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Saraki,
Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu referred our
correspondent to the Chief of Staff, Senator Isa
Galaudu.
However, when Olaniyonu took our
correspondent to Galaudu he declined comment.
Also, the the Director of Information in the
National Assembly Mr Ishaku Dibal said he was
not aware of the matter, but that he would
contact his superiors and get back to our
correspondent. He never did.
Former Senate President David Mark was
reported to have sacked 120 aides in June last
year when he lost his position after his party
became a minority.
It was gathered that the former speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal, had over 100 aides during his time.
A look at the reviewed remuneration package for
the legislature at the federal, state and local
government levels, Volume II, 2007 by the
Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC) showed that a presiding
officer of the National Assembly is entitled to two
types of office aides - special assistants and
personal assistants.
For the special assistant, the commission provides
that “In recognition of the need for this provision,
it is hereby retained; the personnel shall be
provided by the National Assembly Service
Commission and shall be within GL 12 and 14
levels.”
As for personal assistants, it said: “The existing
25% of the annual basic salary shall be
maintained. This is to enable the office holders
employ personal assistants of their choice.”
The document by the commission indicates that a
presiding officer is also entitled to four domestic
staff - a cook, a steward, a gardener and a
housekeeper.
For the domestic staff, it said: “An allowance of
75% of the annual basic salary shall be made
payable on a monthly basis to affected officers to
cater for the emoluments of four staff.”
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