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Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Moustapha Cisse Lo, yesterday, expressed displeasure over the payment of allowance to the Deputy Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun.
The ECOWAS Parliament Speaker accused Lasun who is the leader of the Nigerian delegation of members of ECOWAS Parliament of receiving full payment of allowance without attending plenary.
The Deputy Speaker of the Senegalese Parliament who raised his voice during the closing ceremony of the First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, wondered why Lasun would absent himself from proceedings of the parliament and get full payment, whereas some members who attended for a number of days did not receive full payment of allowance.
But responding to Cisse Lo’s vituperation, Lasun said Cisse Lo was only playing to the gallery.
Chief Press Secretary to Lasun, Wole Oladimeji, who spoke with Sunday Sun, said Lasun is currently in Saudi Arabia for hajj and Cisse Lo cannot claim ignorance of that.
Oladimeji said: “He knows. Ask him whether he (Lasun) took permission from him or not. He may be playing to the gallery.”
Oladimeji further said that Lasun obtained permission from the Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, saying that he was confident that for the calibre of Cisse Lo, Lasun must have also done the same.
But Cisse Lo further said like Lasun, he had so much commitments, yet, decided to abandon all to stay in the country to oversea the proceedings of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Cisse Lo also said that he authorized a no-attendance no-payment option in order to sanitize the system and also ensure proper attendance of proceedings of the parliament.
He threatened to report to President Muhammadu Buhari, if any of the members protested against the decision he took on the payment issue.
Cisse Lo said: “Lasun who never came is being given full payment. And he is never here. I blocked that payment.
“Yes, I lost my temper. I was out of myself. I gave authorization because I want to have the list of attendance. I authorized it.”
