CSOs Drum Support For NASS Clerk On Reforms

Coalition of Civil society Organizations (CSOs) has supported the ongoing reforms at the National Assembly orchestrated by the Clerk of the House, Sani Magaji Tambuwal.

The group was reacting to media reports by some individuals and group against the ongoing reforms, describing it as unfortunate and fraudulent.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja over the weekend, the Chairperson of the Conference of Civil Societies, and Coordinator of Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMICO), Comrade Adams Otakwu stated that while the management of the National Assembly is not immune from investigations, the media practitioners should not allow itself to be used as pawn in the political chess game by those who lost out in any contest in National Assembly management leadership.

Comrade Otakwu noted that the activities of these individuals and groups who hide under the umbrella of Civil Societies to indulge in reactionary and fraudulent activities, portray a bad image of the civil society, and undermine national security.

He expressed concern over incessant blackmails of critical institutions in the country, by subversive elements and so-called ‘coalition of civil societies’ or ‘concerned citizens groups’.

Otakwu who further described such needless and mindless machinations as “inimical to the country’s progress” also cautioned against them, and disclosed plans by the Conference of Civil Societies to collaborate with the Armed Forces, Security and Intelligence Community to clamp down on these elements in the interest of National Security and development.

National coordinator of the PYF, Otunba Bamidele Adigun, and National Organising Secretary, Musa Isah, on their part stated that since Tambuwal’s assumption of office as the CNA, there have been a telling improvement in staff welfare and communication in the National Assembly bureaucracy.

“It is a fact that since Mr. Sani Magaji Tambuwal’s emergence as the CNA in November, 2022 and his eventual confirmation in March this year, there have been marked improvement in staff welfare and communication with top management within the National Assembly bureaucracy,” Adigun and Isah stated in the statement.

According to the group, “the payment of N3.7bn CON-PECULIAR and other outstanding entitlements within a few months in office and the upgrade of the NASS clinic with plans for the state-of-the-art equipment, easing the transportation needs of workers with eight new buses and effecting the payment of N35, 000 palliative grant, from September,2023 are few of the pragmatic leadership of Mr. Tambuwal this past one year in office.

“We wish to further state that, we have diligently followed his leadership and management style, it is gratifying to know and see that all outstanding workers welfare packages and entitlements are been cleared as well as increase in trainings and retraining for all cadres of staff in the NASS service.

“It is on this note and many more, we call on Mr. Tambuwal to remain focused, accountable and ignore mischief makers and those given to blackmail and trading in spurious allegations. People should be guided by their conscience in all that they do so as not to impugn on the integrity and reputation of honest leaders, desirous for the right things to be done.” they added.