Lawmakers Reject Bill Seeking To Extend Tenure Of NASS Clerk, Sani Tambuwal, Others
The proposal to extend the tenure of the Clerk of the National Assembly from 35 to 40 years, which would have benefited the current Clerk, Sani Tambuwal, was rejected and withdrawn following a heated debate on Thursday.
The bill, put forward by the Leader of the Senate, Michael Opeyemi, called for an extension of the Clerk’s tenure as well as that of other Directors within the administrative framework of the National Assembly.
The bill entitled ‘A bill for an Act to make provisions for the retirement age of staff of National Assembly Service and for other related Matters, 2024,’ faced strong opposition from lawmakers on Thursday.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe questioned whether employees of the National Assembly, hired by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), were fundamentally different from those in other government agencies.
Abaribe, a former Deputy Governor of Abia State, criticized the rationale provided by the bill’s sponsor, which focused on specialization. He argued that there was no unique quality about the National Assembly staff that justified the 10th Assembly making an incorrect decision.
Reacting, Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, cautioned that history would judge the lawmakers harshly if they continued to support the bill, which only serves the interests of a select few.
Similarly, Senator Zangon Daura Nasir Sani of Katsina North publicly objected to the bill and urged the Senate President to reject it due to lack of merit.
He emphasized that the bill was clearly designed to benefit specific individuals and should not be endorsed by the upper legislative body.
“Mr President, my name is Senator Zangon Daura Nasir Sani representing Katsina North Senatorial District. I am opposing the bill because it seems to carry the interest of some powerful element and we should not be used to legitimize it,” Sani made his stance known.
Reports revealed that a number of legislators who potentially backed the bill were prevented from speaking by those who opposed it, resulting in chaos within the Senate.
Consequently, Senate President Godswill Akpabio deemed the bill controversial and postponed it indefinitely.
