Lawmakers in the Oyo State House of Assembly yesterday embarked on an indefinite strike to press home their demand for unpaid salaries and allowances.
Claiming that they are being owed furniture and car allowances as well as two months running cost for the Assembly, the legislators, who had last week staged a mild protest by boycotting a sitting, said they last received salaries in August.
Owing to the development, the sitting that was to take place yesterday was postponed according to one of them who preferred not to be named, for as long as it would take Governor Abiola Ajimobi to pay all outstanding allowances.
The lawmaker said they took the ‘no allowance, no sitting’ decision after all entreaties to have the matter peacefully resolved had failed. “During the last Assembly, which was Governor Ajimobi’s first term, all the lawmakers were bought cars.
They were also paid furniture allowance. The running cost of the House was also paid regularly. These allowances are statutory. “We understand that the crash in the price of crude oil has brought the economy to its knees. The consequent drop in revenue affects all the 36 states, as well as the Federal Government.
But in spite of this dire situation, other governors have sorted out the allowances of their state Houses of Assembly. Only those of us who are lawmakers in Oyo State are left languishing throughout the country.
“Last week, we boycotted sitting to protest the lack of concern for our welfare. Without the running cost, the Assembly cannot function. The running cost for the office of the governor is paid regularly. Why is the House left out?,” the lawmaker queried.
Contrary to last week’s protest, where only 20 of the 32 lawmakers boycotted the sitting, New Telegraph learnt yesterday that the unanimous decision to embark of the strike was discussed at a meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the House.
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