Written By: Ahmed Rufa’i in Dutse
The Jigawa State chapter of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASON) has shut down the State House of Assembly complex and commenced an indefinite strike over what it described as the selective implementation of the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS).
Addressing journalists on the industrial action, the state PASON Chairman, Comrade Abdulkadir Baffa Dutse, said the union was compelled to embark on the strike after exhausting all avenues to resolve the matter amicably with the state government.
He expressed concern over what he termed the selective implementation of CONLESS by the Office of the Accountant-General, alleging that only three out of over 160 legislative staff were benefiting from the salary structure.
The association has accused the state’s Accountant General, Mr Abdullahi Shehu for selective CONLESS payment in Jigawa state, as there is no any official documents that allow paying few staff and leaving the majority.
PASON further accused the Accountant General for sabotaging the long existing cordial relationships between the executive and legislatures in the state
According to him, the implementation of CONLESS was part of efforts to strengthen financial autonomy for the legislative arm of government, noting that the salary structure had already been implemented at the National Assembly and in several state assemblies across the country.
“As you are aware, legislative workers across the country are benefiting from the implementation of CONLESS. In Jigawa, we followed due process by obtaining the relevant documents and submitting them to the government,” he said.
Dutse commended Governor Umar Namadi for approving the implementation of the salary structure and directing its immediate execution.
He explained that some discrepancies discovered during the implementation process were corrected and returned to the governor for fresh approval before being forwarded to the Office of the Accountant-General.
“To our greatest surprise, when payment was eventually made, only three persons out of more than 160 staff benefited,” he lamented.
The PASON chairman disclosed that the affected beneficiaries were the Clerk of the House, the Deputy Clerk and the Secretary of the Jigawa State Legislative Service Commission, while middle and junior staff were excluded from the payroll adjustment.
He said the union had engaged the Accountant-General on several occasions, but the promises made during the meetings had yet to yield any positive result.
“Each time we met him, he assured us that the issue would be resolved. Sometimes he said he needed to consult the governor, but up till now nothing has changed,” Dutse stated.
He recalled that the union had earlier suspended a similar industrial action last year following appeals by stakeholders to allow the presentation of the 2026 budget by the governor.
“Out of patriotism and commitment to the development of the state, we suspended the strike with the understanding that our demands would be addressed. Since then, we have continued to receive different excuses,” he added.
Dutse said the union had now exhausted its patience and resolved to embark on an indefinite strike, insisting that no legislative activity would take place until the full implementation of CONLESS for all eligible staff members.
“We have locked up the Assembly complex and no official activity will take place until our demands are met,” he declared.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the state Accountant-General, Alhaji Abdullahi Shehu, proved unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
When the TRUTHS FINDER visited his office, officials said he was not on seat, while calls placed to his mobile phone did not connect.
