The Senate have been cautioned to guard against the lure of granting an extension of retirement age for the Clerk and other staffers of the National Assembly from 60 to 65 years.
The call came against the backdrop of the decision by the upper legislative chamber to step down a Concurrence Bill on the matter which has received the endorsement of a section of parliamentary staff association of Nigeria (PASAN).
A leading civil society group, Foundation for Rights Enforcement, Enlightenment and Defence wondered why the initiative is coming at a period the Clerk of the National Assembly, Magaji Sani Tambawal is on the verge of retiring from service.
Led by Mohammed Saidu, the group challenged the Clerk and other members of the union to reveal details of their terms of service when they joined the National Assembly bureaucracy.
Saidu said: “This time, we want to put it to the Clerk that he is misleading the 10th Assembly, using a compromised union to pursue his personal ambition of breaching the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .
They thereby called on the National Assembly to guard against the passage of a law that is at variance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Finally, we call on the Senate to kill this controversial bill in accordance with the Council on Establishment at its 45th meeting held December, 2023 in Bauchi.
“For the umpteenth, time reject outrightly the request for upward review of retirement age for public servants to 40 years and 60 years of age with the view that it is contrary to national aspirations of Renewed Hope, youth development, innovation and also in tandem with the reality of our population dynamics,” it noted.
