PASAN embarked on strike before Easter because Soludo’s Govt is yet to implement the autonomy of the State Assembly signed into law since 2021.
The resumption of plenary by the Anambra State House of Assembly on Tuesday after the Easter break has been forestalled, following the ongoing indefinite strike action by members of its Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria – PASAN.
It would be recalled that the PASAN Anambra State chapter, a few months ago, around November 2023, embarked on strike action to compel the government of Anambra State led by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to implement the autonomy of the State Assembly, which was signed into law since 2021. The relevant two laws which the State Assembly has passed regarding legislative autonomy are yet to be implemented. The Anambra State House of Assembly Service Commission law and the Fund Management law are expected to ensure legislative autonomy in Anambra State and a better working environment and service conditions for the parliamentary staff members. However, it is yet to see the light of the day.
During the 2024 budget presentation by the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, he promised to ensure the implementation of legislative autonomy and assured that it was included in the 2024 budget. This was a few hours after the then-nationwide strike by PASAN was called off for parliamentary staffers to return to their duty posts. The governor also had promised to implement the two laws as part of his commitment to strong intuitions. But that is yet to see the light of day, four clear months into the 2024 budget year.
The Anambra PASAN embarked on the ongoing strike just before the Easter break and efforts to resolve the strike action without complying with the demand for legislative autonomy have been fruitless, as the striking legislative staff members insist that the strike is indefinite pending the compliance of the government with implementation of the Anambra State legislative autonomy which was signed into law by Governor Willie Obiano around September of 2021.
He is a Technical Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano’s Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, whoonce was a Special Adviser to a former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly. Ebuka is a second class upper division graduate of Political Science from University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science with specialization in Government and Development Studies, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
