Strike paralyses activities at National Assembly as PASAN shuts premises

Activities were paralysed at the National Assembly complex yesterday following the nationwide indefinite warning strike declared by organised labour over a new minimum wage for workers.

A few members of staff, business operators including bankers and visitors were seen trickling into the National Assembly complex to carry out their duties.

Also security operatives of Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the National Assembly Sergeant-At-Arms were at the various gates leading into the legislative complex.

However, about 11am, the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), issued a directive to its members, who defied the Nigeria Labours Congress (NLC)’s directive to immediately vacate the complex.

Although the leaders of PASAN were not physically present to enforce the directive, its members, who spoke to journalists, said they were directed to go home because PASAN is an affiliate of the NLC.

However, following the directive, all entrances to the legislative complex were locked and people denied access to the premises.

Journalists were also prevented from entering the complex, as security operatives turned back staff, business operators and visitors.

In compliance with the directive, banks, which opened earlier in the morning and were attending to customers, also shut down and left the legislative building.

Similarly, the few administrative and legislative staff, who came to work, were seeing walking out of the complex in brisk movements, as if they were escaping arrest, though nobody was chasing them.

One of the PASAN members who spoke to our correspondent said: “We have to shut down to show our solidarity with the NLC because PASAN is its affiliate.

“Those of us who came did not know that the strike would be taken seriously, but we have seen and we are going to participate fully because we are in total support of labour’s demand concerning the new minimum wage.”