The National Emergency Management Agency has received another batch of 161 stranded Nigerians from Mtiga in Libya.

The acting Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office, NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, received the returnees on Thursday night in Lagos State.

Farinloye said that the Nigerians arrived the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, late on Thursday night.

According to him, the returnees were brought via Al Buraq Air Boeing 737 aircraft with flight number UZ 189 and registration number 5A-DMG.

He said that the Nigerians were brought by the International Organisation for Migration and the European Union on the platform of the Assisted Voluntary Returnees Programme.

Farinloye also said that the returnees comprised of 48 female adults, four female children, five female infants as well as 102 adult males, one male child and one infant male.

Other agencies that received the returnees included the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.

Farinloye said: “This batch brought the total number of voluntary returnees from Libya to 14,045, which is made up of 8,200 males and 5,845 females.”

One of the returnees, an indigene of Akure, Ondo State, who preferred anonymity, while narrating her ordeal, said she was 19 years when she left Nigeria.

The returnee said that she spent a year and three months before she decided to return to Nigeria.

She explained that she left Nigeria due to pressure on her when her mother had mental health problems and the father of her child abandoned them.

“I was left with the tasks of fending for my siblings, mother and my daughter.

“My mother’s relations and friends abandoned us. I was a tailoring apprentice after my husband left us.

“My mum was thrown out of the house because we could not afford to pay for rent,’’ she narrated.

According to her, feeding became a serious problem, my siblings could not continue schooling and they dropped out of school.

“No one was there for us. I had no alternative than to seek more opportunities outside when I was told that I could secure good jobs.

“It was unfortunate that the so-called good jobs were meant to destroy our future. Most of our ladies are located in connection job while a handful in “Arabu” works.

“Arabu work is like the job of a housemaid which goes with unpleasant experience from torture to overworking into very late hours and waking up very early. The `connection job’ is like introducing ladies to prostitution.

“ The worst of it all was that all efforts to raise money became fruitless as militants or police could burst into our houses, robbed us of our belongings and went away with everything we had worked for over there,’’ she said.

According to her, trying to send something through a Nigerian, you have to part with the same amount you wish to send.

She explained that a Nigerian would collect cash and asked his relation in Nigeria to send half of the amount to the person that the money was meant for,” she said.

The returnee said: “I will never encourage anyone to embark on this type of perilous journey as it is just a waste of one’s life for the period spent on this type of journey. Though it was an experience but a very bad one.

“I need assistance to start my life. My mother is better health-wise and she is hawking pure water now.

“I learnt IOM and other organisations are helping people like us.

“ I want to complete my fashion designing apprenticeship but need to source for a means of feeding while I am under apprenticeship.”

A Nigerian senator, Bulus Amos, representing Gombe South Senatorial District, on Thursday said he has approved the appointment of 118 constituency aides.

These aides were picked across the forty wards in Balanga, Billiri, Kaltungo and Shongom LGAs of the senatorial district, Mr Amos said through his spokesperson, Abdul Lauya, on Thursday.

The 118 appointees comprised two personal assistants drawn from each ward and another 38 special assistants.

While the personal assistants are to serve as links between the lawmaker and the grassroots, the special assistants would represent various special interests including women, youth, students, physically challenged and the aged through the constituency office in Bambam, the lawmaker said.

Mr Amos also said the “massive appointments” is part of his “empowerment drive aimed at reducing joblessness, youth restiveness, thuggery and other social vices.”

Letters of the appointment are due for presentation to the appointees at a later date at the constituency office, the release read.

Provision of the law

As provided in the National Assembly Act, each lawmaker, excluding principal officers, is entitled to five aides, including one senior legislative aide, two legislative aides, a personal assistant and a secretary.

These aides are apart from those who work in the constituency offices of the legislators.

The President of the Senate is entitled to 45 aides; his deputy, 30, and 20 each for all principal officers.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is entitled to 35 assistants; Deputy Speaker, 15 and 10 each for the six principal officers of the Green Chamber.

Sources at the National Assembly said aides get monthly emoluments ranging between N75,000 to N180,000 — a downward review from N150,000 to N250,000.

All of these aides are paid from the coffers of the National Assembly.

Controversies

The role of legislative aides has been a subject of controversies, partly due to allegations that they are being shortchanged by federal lawmakers.

In 2016, an investigation revealed that, in violation of constitutional stipulation, no fewer than 2,570 aides were engaged by the 469 members of the 8th National Assembly.

Of this, 700 aides work for lawmakers in the Senate, while the remaining 1,870 were engaged by House of Representatives members.

There have also been a series of protests by these aides due to nonpayment of their entitlements.

At other times, citing the same allegation, the aides have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the EFCC, the nation’s anti-graft agency.

It is unclear how Mr Amos intends to finance payment of his 118 appointees and what he would do differently to avoid disquiet among his appointed aides.

Calls to his spokesperson, Abdul Lauya, were unavailable Thursday evening. WhatsApp calls were not answered.