TheCable

The house of representatives says the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) “lied” to the citizens with the claim that lawmakers got N100 million each as palliative from the federal government. 

On Tuesday, Christopher Onyeka, assistant secretary-general of NLC, was reported to have said members of the national assembly received over N100 million each as palliative to cushion the effect of the petrol subsidy removal, while poor Nigerians are given rice.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the house of representatives, described Onyeka’s claim as “baseless and devoid of any factual accuracy”.

“Transparency and truth in public discourse are necessary for a functioning democracy. While we doubt that Mr. Onyeka was actually conveying the official position of the NLC on this claim, it is nonetheless important to correct such misinformation,” the statement reads.

Rotimi said Onyeka “lied” and that his statement was “malicious, irresponsible and in bad faith”.

The legislator said the NLC assistant secretary-general misrepresented the facts “in a bid to lend credence to otherwise valid demands of the NCL while seeking to denigrate the National Assembly and inciting the public against the institution”.

The lawmaker demanded that the congress should immediately retract the statement and tender an apology to the national assembly.

Rotimi asked the labour body to become a partner with the national assembly rather than being an adversary.