With just 17 days to the end of their tenure, the management body of the National Assembly has asked lawmakers of the House of Representatives to vacate their offices and pack their personal belongings by Monday, May 18, 2015.
An internal memo from the management had disclosed the demand to the 360 outgoing lawmakers.
A similar memo also conveyed to senior legislative aides and other non-civil service members of the lower legislative arm.
A very reliable source from the National Assembly said, “They started receiving the memo on Wednesday, May, 13, 2015 specifically asking them to move their personal effects out of the offices by Monday, May 18, 2015
“Many of them actually started complying almost immediately, particularly members who are not coming back to be part of the 8th Assembly.
“I have seen a couple of lawmakers’ aides moving personal property out of the offices since the memo came in,” the source disclosed.
The memo was addressed to both returning and non-returning members.
About 233 of the current members are to be replaced by Friday, June 5, 2015.
An official who pleaded not to be disclosed said, “We have to prepare the offices because there is a lot of work ahead to be done.
“We are welcoming a new House. Most of the offices will be re-allocated. The name tags will change. Some ranking members will have to change offices.
“The same thing will apply to the sitting arrangements in the chambers. If we don’t start work now, we will not meet up with the schedule before the inauguration of the 8th Assembly.”
The official added that, “with or without memo,” it was expected that members would start moving their belongings out of the offices since the tenure was over.
When contacted, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, confirmed knowledge of the memo, but he dismissed it as “nothing serious.”
He said, “That one (memo) is nothing serious. I think it has to do with some renovations or repairs that they have to do in some of the offices.
“It is just to say, ‘give some space for the repairs’, a normal thing that happens.”
