ABUJA – Some Senior management staff of the National Assembly have began lobbying for the position of the Clerk to the National Assembly which may soon become vacant after the expected retirement of the current Clerk, Sani Magaji Tambuwal in February 2025.
Tambuwal who was first appointed Acting Clerk to the National Assembly in November 2022 and later confirmed in March 2023 will turn 60 in February 2025.
He however lost the opportunity to stay longer in office as a result of the President’s none signing of the bill which sought to extend the retirement age of staff of the National Assembly into the law.
The bill sought to extend the retirement age of staff of the National Assembly from 60 to 65 or from 35 to 40 years, whichever is earlier.
The bill titled “a bill for an act to make provisions for the retirement age for staff of the National Assembly and related matters went through second reading in the House in October 2023.
The bill was first introduced in the 7th Assembly, but failed to sail through and was reintroduced in the 8th and 9th Assembly, but also failed.
The bill which was brought back to the 10th Assembly and sponsored by the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP, Kano) scaled through second reading in the House in October 2023 and was eventually passed by the House on the 20th December 2020.
Although the Senate initially rejected the bill, it backtracked and passed the bill on the 31st of March 2024 and was transmitted to the President for his assent.
But some of those who opposed the bill are of the opinion that it will lead to stagnation through the rank, while those who supports the bill argued that it will promote efficiency and ensure that experience prevails.
While some staff of the National Assembly are in support of the bill, others are spoken against it arguing that it is an attempt by some senior management staff to remain in office longer than necessary.
However, some staff have also argued that Tambuwal should proceed on pre-retirement leave by November 2024 ahead of his eventual retirement on the 2nd of February, 2024.
A highly placed source told The Nation that the President decline assent to the bill, but it was not clear whether the President advanced any reason for with holding assent.
Another source said that some persons within the National Assembly fought hard to ensure that the bill was not signed apparently because of their interest in who become the next Clerk to the National Assembly.
Although the President did not sign the bill, the National Assembly, may ib resumption from vacation on Tuesday decide to revisit the bill in accordance to the provisions of the various standing rules of both chambers.
Order 12, rule 21 of the eleventh edition of House standing rule provides that “any bill referred to the House by the President with holding assent may be reconsidered through a substantive motion by the House.
It said further that the notion shall include all the clauses objected to by the President which shall be reconsidered in the committee of the whole, adding that if necessary, the House may rescind it’s decision(s) on the affected clauses and reconsider the bill in the committee of the whole.
