Nigerian Authorities Probe National Assembly Staff Union Executives Over Alleged N3Billion Fraud
The invitation, which came in response to a petition accusing PASAN leaders of misappropriating union funds, is set for tomorrow.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has summoned top executives and concerned members of the National Assembly chapter of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) over allegations of a N3 billion fraud.
The invitation, which came in response to a petition accusing PASAN leaders of misappropriating union funds, is set for tomorrow.
In an official letter signed by the Director/Registrar, Department of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Amos Falonipe, on behalf of the Minister of Labour, the ministry called for a meeting to address complaints from aggrieved PASAN members.
The letter, titled “Re: Petition Against the Misappropriation of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN, National Assembly chapter and Threats of Suspension of Members,” was issued on October 25, 2024.
The controversy began earlier this month when Yusuf Abiola, a PASAN member, held a press briefing in Abuja, alleging that PASAN’s National Assembly chapter executives had mismanaged union funds totaling N3 billion.
Abiola, representing other concerned union members, demanded an audited financial report from 2019 to the present.
He also pledged to seek redress by petitioning relevant authorities if the issues remained unresolved.
In response, PASAN’s National Assembly chapter chairman, Sunday Sabiyyi, alongside Secretary David Ann Ebizimoh, dismissed the claims as “baseless and defamatory.”
Sabiyyi, however, urged union members and the public to disregard the accusations, describing them as “unfounded blackmail aimed at disrupting the union’s focus.”
The Ministry of Labour’s intervention marks a significant escalation in the dispute, as PASAN’s leadership now faces the possibility of an official investigation into their financial practices.
