Delegates’ aides threaten to disrupt proceedings over welfare

Posted by admin Latest Politics Sunday, May 25th, 2014

BY HENRY UMORU
STRONG indications emerged yesterday that smooth considerations of reports of the 20 Committees may be affected following threats by some personal aides attached to delegates to disrupt proceedings over issues relating to their welfare.

The aides which mostly comprise of drivers, security details and other ad-hoc staff were alleged not to be happy with the leadership of the conference which made no provision for their welfare prior to the planning of the conference.

At yesterday’s plenary session, Chairman of the Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi had told delegates that there was a security report from the Department of State Security(DSS), saying that delegates’ aides were warming up for a protest over their welfare issues.

Kutigi, in a letter he read to the delegates, said the aggrieved aides had also written a letter to the presidency and copied same to the conference secretariat, expressing their grievances.
He appealed to the delegates “to talk to your aides to leave us alone to conduct this conference successfully or in the alternative we would get them arrested if they do not conduct themselves properly.”

Although, it is not clear how much each delegate would receive at the end of the exercise, it was however speculated that each delegate would earn a minimum of N12million at the expiration of the conference.

It will be recalled that at the commencement of plenary on March 18, a day after the conference was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan, a motion was raised by some delegates seeking a clarification of who should foot the allowances of the aides and Kutigi explained then that the budget for the conference only covered the 492 delegates’ allowances and feeding for the three months the conference would last.

– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/delegates-aides-threaten-disrupt-proceedings-welfare/#sthash.bvmohZmL.dpuf

-Vanguard

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