President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has strongly opposed the practice where top bureaucrats in the National Assembly remain in office after the expiration of their service years.
Akpabio called on the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to fully exercise its powers as conferred by the extant act by removing such bureaucrats from service without further delay.
The senate president stated these when he received the outgoing Chairman and members of the NASC on Monday in Abuja.
“Mr. Chairman and members of the National Assembly Service Commission, your visit today to formally notify me of the end of your tenure brings mixed feelings,” he said. “It is sad to lose such an experienced hand like you, but at the same time, I am happy that you ended well after five years in office.”
He added, “However, as you hand over to the Secretary of the Commission, pending the time the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives and I make recommendations for new Chairman and members, the lapses observed within the last few years must be addressed.”
One of these lapses, Akpabio noted, is the reluctance of some clerks, whether to the National Assembly, the Senate, or the House of Representatives, to leave office upon the expiration of their service years, along with the lethargy of the commission in enforcing this at the appropriate time.
“Tolerating such behavior from ‘sit-tight’ bureaucrats has brought unnecessary politics into the system, leading to the factionalisation of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) and threats from some individuals to take the leadership of the National Assembly to ‘Berekete Radio,’ also known as Human Rights Radio, forgetting that Nigeria has not established a human rights radio,” he said.
He emphasised, “The politicisation of tenure or years of service for staff of the National Assembly is a result of the actions and inactions of NASC, and this must stop. NASC must adhere to the provisions of the letters of appointment issued.”
Akpabio also pointed out that the refusal by some clerks, secretaries, or directors to proceed on terminal leave is a clear case of service elongation, which must be enforced by NASC.
“In light of this, an amendment will be made to the NASC Establishment Act so that its Secretary will work more closely with the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure a more disciplined and efficient service delivery system,” he said.
Earlier, the outgoing Chairman of NASC, Engineer Ahmed Kadi Amshi informed the Senate President that he and five, out of the six National Commissioners of the Commission would be concluding their service on February 7, 2025, after assuming office on February 7, 2020.
He added that the commissioner representing the South East would remain in office until October 14, 2026, since he was appointed on October 15, 2021.