Deputy speaker’s aide died because of ‘delayed salary’

Hassan Abiodun, an aide to Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, died because he could not treat himself as a result of the delay in salary payment, Allen Chongo, his colleague, has said.

The late Abiodun’s colleagues on Tuesday protested his death, delay in salaries and non-payment in the main lobby of the national assembly.

They brandished placards which had his obituary and read ‘NASS please pay our entitlement, no DTA for two years’.

Speaking with TheCable, Chongo said Abiodun died due to “ruptured appendicitis”.

He explained that the delay in salary payment prevented his late colleague from going to the hospital, as he needed N165,000 to treat himself.

“He actually had a ruptured appendicitis because of lack of funds to go to the hospital, he was actually waiting for salaries to be paid for him to go to the hospital because of the delay in the payment of salaries, he passed on,” Chongo said.

“So we as his colleagues we gathered to mourn him today and let the national assembly management that we are not happy over what happened and then they should also ensure that our salaries and entitlements are paid and salaries be paid promptly.

“Most at times, month ends and we don’t get paid till second, third week of the other month. Salaries have been delayed for a month now, it has been a constant policy that every end of the month which is natural that we collect our salaries, we don’t get that until the second third week of the next month.

“As I talk to you right now, most of our colleagues have not been paid salaries, some of them stated getting as yesterday, but some of us, like me personally have not been paid.

“The problem is with the management, I think is a deliberate policy that they suffer us and make sure they thwart our effort. We have been dialouging with the management and every time they tell us that they are looking into it. And up till now, nothing has been done. And you can see the result of it, losing our colleague.”

He also said that their accounts should be “removed from Sun Trust bank because we think they are part of the people causing this delay in payment of our salaries”.