The President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio, has raised the alarm over the presence of hoodlums who reportedly rob lawmakers at the National Assembly complex.
Akpabio added that as the 10th NASS settles down for legislative activities, hoodlums and people that do not have any business in the National Assembly Complex besiege the Senate and House of Representative wings to either beg for alms or rob lawmakers of their valuables.
Akpabio said this when he received in audience members of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), who paid a courtesy call on him at the NASS complex, in Abuja.
The Senate President’s lamentation came after the remarks by the Chairman of the NASC, Ahmed Kadi Amshi, who presented the challenges faced by the commission and other issues to him.
Reacting to the issue of staff allowances raised by Amshi, Akpabio said he was aware of enormous resources channeled towards staff comfort, adding that everything was not about the welfare of staff.
While expressing displeasure over the infrastructural decay, filthiness and insecurity at the complex, the Senate President said there were cases of lawmakers being dispossessed of their telephones and other valuables by the hoodlums who position themselves at strategic places and in front of offices.
Akpabio said: “We are aware that the entire complex is under renovation. We must also look after the environment. It is not all about the staff; we will like to see a cleaner environment and a secure complex. A lot of Senators have lost their telephones because of the influx of people into the complex.”
He reiterated that the National Assembly remains the symbol of democracy, stressing that the 10th Senate was poised to make history through legislation.
Earlier, Amshi congratulated the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President on their emergence, saying they were experienced public officers.
He appealed to lawmakers to send the list of their legislative aides for documentation.
“By September let us finish the issue of legislative aides” Amshi said.
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