Legislative aides working for members of the out going members of the 8th National Assembly have again cried to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene over what they described as 'the alleged criminal diversion of their legitimate entitlements and allowances by the clerk and presiding officers of the 8th National Assembly.

The aides, under the auspices of Concerned Legislative Aides  in a open letter to  President Buhari jointly signed by Mr. Sunny Chuba Onita and Mr. Chapp Jonathan, and made available to journalists said that they have formally written a petition chronicling their predicaments to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 19th November, 2018.

The statement said the petition was duly copied to the Office of the President, and also to the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Inspector General of Police, Director General of State Security Service and Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

"It still amazes us that EFCC is yet to launch a full investigation on the said petition, we  wonder if the much touted fight against corruption by your administration is a mirage", the aides queried

" It is our utmost belief that there should be no sacred cows in the act of ridding the country of the evil tentacles of corruption in its ramification.

"We are reliably informed, Your Excellency that the Presiding Officers of the 8th National Assembly are using the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Omolori to cover the alleged diversion of our entitlements and allowances.

"The said clerk should have proceeded on pre-retirement leave on November, 2018 having attained the mandatory 60 years and 35 years of service.

"He was allegedly served a letter to that effect by the Office of Head of Service of the Federation." They stated.

The statement further added that  there is scheme to add an additional five years to the tenure of the clerk by adding a provision to the Report of the Conference Committee on the Reviewed Conditions of Service in the National Assembly Service before both chambers of the 8th National Assembly.

It said such scheme if successful will extend the retirement age of staff of National Assembly to either 65 years of age or 40 years of service.

The statement further stated that the scheme is geared towards covering the tracks of diverting their entitlements.

The aides, however, called on President Buhari as the father of the nation to look into complaints dispassionately and ensure that the EFCC conduct an excellent investigation on the diversion of our entitlements, the refusal of Alhaji Sani Omolori the Clerk to the National Assembly to proceed on pre-retirement leave and the use of SunTrust Bank to defraud legislative aides of the 8th National Assembly.

"It may also interest Your Excellency to note the use of SunTrust Bank – a bank with only two branches in Nigeria and the unbridled employment of Special Assistants by Presiding Officers as tools used in siphoning our legitimate allowances and entitlements.

"The shareholding of SunTrust Bank should be thoroughly investigated while the exact numbers of special advisers, special assistants and legislative aides of the presiding officers of the 8th National Assembly examined for possibility of fake and ghost names," the statement maintained.