Angry staff members of the National Assembly have embarrassed the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.

The disgrace came when the duo were addressing the angry workers on the issue of their unpaid salary of N5.8 billion as they were repeatedly chanting “no (credit) alert, no sitting.”

The workers had stormed the complex on Tuesday morning to protest their withheld entitlements, including consolidated salary increments and allowances said to be owed them since 2010.

They demanded the resignation of Sani Omolori, the Clerk of the National Assembly, whom they accused of withholding the money.

While addressing journalists earlier, Omolori said it is wrong for the workers to prevent lawmakers from sitting.

He also denied claims the payments are being withheld.

Saraki told them that “we are all on the same side” and that “it is in our interest to ensure good and mental condition of service and better working environment.

He appealed to them to give the lawmakers till Friday to resolve the issues but they stood their ground, chanting: “No alert, no sitting.”

The angry staff, under the aegis of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, carried out their strike threat in the early hours of the day.

They blocked the entrances to the chambers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives at about 9:45 a.m., locking out the lawmakers.

They chanted war songs, vowing that there would be no sitting by both arms of parliament until their allowances are paid.

The Management of the National Assembly had on Monday urged the staff not to embark on the planned strike, saying that their concerns were being addressed.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, made the vain plea in a seven-page letter addressed to the staff through the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria.

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