Delegates’ drivers, aides threaten to disrupt confab over allowances

Kutigi made this announcement during the plenary, saying the conference management had received a security report indicating that aides and drivers of delegates are planning to disrupt the conference over non-payment of their allowances.He said: “We just received security alert that your aides and drivers are planning to disrupt our conference.“I understand the demonstration is […]

Kutigi made this announcement during the plenary, saying the conference management had received a security report indicating that aides and drivers of delegates are planning to disrupt the conference over non-payment of their allowances.
He said: “We just received security alert that your aides and drivers are planning to disrupt our conference.
“I understand the demonstration is because of allowance and we have told you that there is no budgetary provision for any aide or driver in the conference,” he said.
Daily Trust earlier reported that some delegates wanted allowances for their aides but the secretariat explained that there was no budgetary provision for their aides and drivers.
Kutigi threatened to arrest the aides if they actualize their threat thus: “Please appeal to your drivers and aides to leave us alone to conduct this conference in peace or alternatively, we shall be arresting them.’’
He said the conference would not condone any unlawful act within the premises of the conference.
“You better take the message to your aides and drivers to stop harassing the conference.
“We don’t want to arrest the drivers and aides of our delegates that are lawfully here, but if they begin to carry out any unlawful act, we shall get them arrested; so, please, warn them,” he said.
Earlier, in a letter dated April 28 and addressed to the chairman of the conference, the aides, under the auspices of “Forum of Aides and Drivers of National Conference 2014 Delegates,” said they had evidence that payments were made to support personnel of similar appointees in the past, including the National Political Bureau of March 1987 and the National Political Reform Conference of 2005.
The aides therefore asked that they should be paid as it was done in the past.
The two-page petition was signed by six of the aides and drivers, and copied to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.