On Wednesday, a group of more than eighteen MPs from the third Republic surrounded the National Assembly, requesting that their salary and benefits be paid.
Leading the group to the House of Representatives in Abuja, Mr. Basil Okafor, a third republican congressman, claimed they hadn’t received their lifetime entitlement since 1992.
He claimed that this was the fallout from the military junta headed by the late General Sani Abacha, which had aborted the Third Republic.
“We were elected in the clearest and cleanest election in this country’s history,” he declared. Option A4 was that.
He added that everyone that attended the House at that time did so with the support and backing of his people, saying that there was no rigging at the time.
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“Unfortunately, we were all ordered packing when the military overthrew the administration, as was the custom at the time.
Nevertheless, because we were so unified, we did not give up. We are still here even though they have asked us to go. We are prepared to battle for the ascension’s cause in addition to our own.
He stated that one of their members, Rep. Fred Agbedi (PDP-Bayeisa), is among the House of Representatives’ longest-serving members.
“It is interesting to note that, since our election in 1999 until now, every legislative session has been held, our members have been elected by their constituents to return to this body,” he remarked.
Because of his actions back home, Agbedi is one of those members whose people adore him so much.
“We have issues with our claims and salaries that were not paid at that time,” he said. We are seeking the government’s face to see if they can assist us in resolving our issues.
“And we are confident that with Fred present, he can assist us in organizing his fellow members to support this cause and draw attention to some of the issues we are facing.”
A member of the Third Republic named Hajiya Amina said that many of them had passed away, stating, “We were 593 when we came here, but over 250 have gone, and the most of the ladies are dead.
“It has been 31 years since we took the oath of office as members of this parliament; our grandchildren have the right to vote and be elected.” However, we continue to have an issue with one of our claims.
In response, Agbedi urged the National Assembly to grant them their claim and take the necessary action.
They have not stopped protesting that the military intervention resulted in the reduction of several entitlements and perks.
It goes without saying that the national assembly should take the initiative to make sure that the people’s rights are upheld.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to call on President Bola Tinubu, who was present in the assembly, to make sure that they receive all of their entitlements in that republic.”
