Trouble is brewing in the National Assembly as some members of the administrative staff are perfecting strategies to thwart moves to give legislative backing to an alleged plot by outgoing Clark and over 200 senior staff to enjoy an additional 5 years instead of November as contained in the existing service scheme.
It was gathered in Abuja, on Thursday, that trouble started when staff looking forward to occupying senior positions due to becoming vacant were informed of fresh moves by the Senate to concur with a controversial bill that seeks to extend the retirement age for civil servants in the nation’s Parliament and across the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
Parliamentary staff expressed concerns over attempts by the Senate to pass a Bill for an Act to extend the retirement age of National Assembly Staff from 60 to 65 years of age and from 35 to 40 years of service, whichever comes first.
Documents sighted by our correspondent, indicate that the current Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Tambawal Magaji, was born in 1965 and joined the services of the National Assembly in April 1990 (34 years).
If the Bill scales through, he will remain in office until he’s 65 or he must have spent 40 years in service.
On Wednesday, the Senate listed the controversial Bill that had passed third reading in the House of Representatives for concurrence after it passed first reading in the Senate a few weeks ago.
Several attempts have been made by the two Chambers of the National Assembly to extend the retirement age of parliamentary staff since 2017.
Successive managements of the National Assembly bureaucracy have made spirited attempts since 2017 to sway the political leadership to pass legislation in support of moves to remain in service.
Opponents of this move argue that granting such an extension would be at variance with rules, regulations, and the condition of service as currently prescribed by the Public Service Rules.
Under the current rules, the retirement age of persons in the public service of the federation is pegged at the attainment of 60 years of age or 35 years of service, whichever comes first.
While the management vigorously pursued its goal, the staff of the National Assembly under the aegis of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) under the chairmanship of Bature Musa, have rejected the Bill in its entirety.
The union urged the management of the National Assembly to channel its energy towards ensuring the full implementation of the welfare and allowance packages as contained in the service’s Conditions of Service for staff.
The rejection of the Bill was attributed to what the workers’ Union termed an “attempt by Clerk to the National Assembly and the management team to perpetuate themselves in office for another 5 years after they are due for retirement from service.
The Union in a unanimous decision, rejected the Bill, saying that it was against the position of the Council of Establishment of the Federation, which pegged the retirement age at either 60 years of age or 35 years of service, whichever comes first.
The Union also argued that the controversial Bill if passed, will bring stagnation to the career progression of her members, thus serve only the interests of the management staff, especially those who are due for retirement from service.
The Union also averred that the passage of the Bill would contravene the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and would run contrary to the Federal Government‘s policy on youth development and empowerment.
The Union advanced its argument by illustrating that perpetuating persons who have served the nation for 35 years or attained 60 years of age will not make room for employment of Nigerian youths, some of whom graduated for more than 10 years without gainful employment.
Consequently, the Union in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate and the Rt. Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives denounced the Bill and threatened industrial action should the legislators go ahead and pass it.
It said the Union’s position led the two chambers to discontinue action on the Bill which was respectively sponsored by Sunday Akon in the House and Senator Stella Odua in the Senate during the 9th Assembly.
However, determined to see it through, the management allegedly reached a deal with the National Assembly Service Commission and smuggled the tenure extension into the Conditions of Service in use in the National Assembly Service, but the Union protested and forced the Commission to expunge it from the revised edition of the Conditions of Service currently in use.
The revision led to the retirement of the then Clerk to the National Assembly, Ataba Sani Omolori and 150 staff members of the service.
However, further attempts were made in the House of Representatives under the speakership of Femi Gbajabiamila, but were rejected by the House thus, the Bill did not see the light of the day under the then Clerk to the National Assembly, Amos Olatunde Ojo.
Presently, the management, led by the current Clerk to the National Assembly, Magaji Sani Tambawal is again pushing for it.
The Bill has passed in the House of Representatives and is currently before the Senate for concurrence. The Senate, after taking the first reading of the Bill some weeks ago, reversed itself and listed it for concurrence on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
However, a group of staff of the apex lawmaking body in the land has rejected the attempt by the Senate to concur to the decision of the House of Representatives, citing the same reasons adduced by the Union in 2019.
The staff have queried the move, asking what has changed in 2024 that is motivating the present Assembly to buy into the Bill to the extent that it is in a hurry to get it passed.
The workers allege that the leadership of the Workers Union in the National Assembly Service may have been compromised.
The group of staff alleged that the management of the National Assembly, led by Tambawal got the Sunday Sabiyyi-led Executive of the Union, hence, the deafening silence in the Union.
They accused the chairman of buying into the attempt to stagnate the majority of staff and blocking the viable youth population who would be employed into the service upon the retirement of over 200 staff who are due to retire between 2024 and 2026, out of selfish interest as he stands to benefit from the extension if passed and assent to.
They wondered why the leadership that led the struggle against the Bill during Omolori and Ojo respectively, will now go against the Union’s stand because.
They called on the leadership of the Senate to throw away the Bill in the public and national interest, calling their attention to the prevalent crime rate among Nigerian youths due to the alarming unemployment.
They also called on the National Assembly management to concentrate on implementing workers’ friendly welfare with a view to ameliorating the suffering among staff who said they’re been denied the salary approved for them since 2010 by the management.
However, high ranking member of the Assembly management who pleaded anornimity said the Assembly Clark had nothing to do with the piece of legislation in question.
He said it was the collective resolve of a majority of parliamentary staff to preserve institutional memory in line with the practice in developed democracies of the world.
The source explained that the Nigerian parliament like no other has suffered brain drain as a result of retirement of good hands on a continuous basis over the years.
He explained that “What this proposed legislation seeks to do is to deepen democracy by ensuring that institutional memory is preserved to give those who still have a lot to offer an opportunity to do so. “
The source further said, “The Clark, Sani Magaji, that I know is not a desperate person who will want to hang on to power.
“I can tell you, repeatedly that, the CNA will not or do not intend to spend a minute longer upon his retirement when it eventually comes.
“People should stop dragging the CNA into this unwarranted controversy. And that such people with this kind of sinister motive to tarnish or dent his noble image should desist from it.”
