From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate on Thursday, shutdown a bill seeking the extension of retirement age for National Assembly staff from 60 to 65 years.
The controversial bill seeks an extension of the retirement age of staff of the National Assembly Service from 60 to 65 years of age and from 35 to 40 years in service whichever comes earlier.
The bill, if it had scaled through, would have extended the service years of over 200 workers who are due to retire between 2024 and 2026 including the current clerk, Sani Magaji Tambawal, according to records from the National Assembly.
The bill was passed in the House of Representatives in December 2023 and transmitted to the Senate for concurrence in line with parliamentary procedures.
The “Harmonised Retirement Age for Staff of the National Assembly Service Bill” had divided workers in the Parliament.
While some opposed the extension of service years, arguing that it would affect the career progression of junior workers, others backed it, saying it would staff the opportunity to grow for better service delivery.
The Senate, however, stepped down the bill after majority of lawmakers spoke against the extension during debate.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said passing the bill would stop career progression of junior staff and stall employment of young Nigerians who desire to work in the parliament.
He said the argument that the legislative staff should be allowed to stay beyond 60 years or 35 years of service because they have expertise in parliamentary procedures was not tenable.
Abaribe said majority of the work in the parliament was being done by lawmakers, who are replaced after four years. “The work here is done by us, the elected representatives. The workers are support staff. We are replaced every four years. Can we say we should also be allowed to stay longer than four years. Those working here aren’t different from the workers in the ministry. I do not support the passage of the bill.”
Ali Mohammed Ndume, cautioned his colleagues and urged them to do more consultation before taking action on the bill.
Muntari Dandutse from Katsina State, also spoke against extending the service years for legislative staff, saying passing the bill will create a vacuum. Other ministry will also be asking for extension.
“There are millions of unemployed youths looking for jobs. We can’t keep people in the system while others are looking for jobs. Some people in civil service fraudulently reduce their age to remain in service beyond the statutory retirement age. We don’t need to further extend it,” he said.
Only senators Michael Opeyemi Bamidele and Suleiman Kawu Sumaila spoke in support of the bill.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remark, described the proposed legislation as controversial and advised that it should be stepped down for further consultation. He therefore put the bill to a voice vote and majority of senators rejected it.