Oppose Bill To Raise Parliamentary Staff Retirement Age, Group Call Tinubu

Concerned National Assembly staff have urged President Bola Tinubu to oppose a bill that would raise the Parliamentary staff retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Recall that the Senate and House of Representatives enacted a bill raising the retirement age around two months ago, which was signed into law by the president and will go into force with the current National Assembly leadership as beneficiaries. 

In a letter issued to President Tinubu, a copy of which was seen by Vanguard in Abuja on Tuesday, opponents of the measure voiced concern that “the bill in its current form poses significant constitutional bottlenecks and raises concerns about opacity in the legislative process.”

Akobo Teinye Tonbo-Seddon, Legal Adviser to the Foundation for Rights Enforcement, Enlightenment, and Defence, who signed the petition on behalf of the aggrieved staff, wrote that the bill’s provisions while seeking to extend the Clerk’s tenure beyond the established retirement age, undermine the principles of fairness, equity, and justice.

“It sets a dangerous precedent , potentially leading to a culture of tenure elongation for other public officials, hereby compromising the integrity of our democratic institutions.”

The petition was also forwarded to the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF). The petitioners also contended that the “bill violates the clear provisions of the constitution that establish the National Assembly and define the terms and conditions of service for its officials.”

“Specifically, Section 51 of the Constitution states that ‘There shall be a clerk to the National Assembly and such other staff as may be prescribed by an act of the National Assembly, and the method of appointment of the clerk and other staff of the National Assembly shall be as prescribed by that act.

“Therefore, the Clerk of the National Assembly is a creation of the constitution, a constitutional office holder, and terms and conditions of service, including the retirement age as specified in the constitution.

“Any changes to this terms and condition will require a constitutional amendment as outlined in section 9 of the Constitution.

“The National Assembly can legislate on matters related to the administration of the National Assembly, but cannot unilaterally alter the constitutional provisions relating to the clerks service years without following the proper procedure of constitutional amendment.

“The bill extending the retirement age of National Assembly staff from 60- 65 years may potentially violate several sections of the Nigerian Constitution, including Section 1 (1). The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and any law inconsistent with its provisions shall be void. This bill is seen as discriminatory or violating fundamental rights.

“Section 14 (1)(b) also guarantees the right to equality and prohibits discrimination based on age. This bill may be seen as discriminatory against younger Nigerians.

They further argued Arguing further, that “the bill violates the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances, as the legislative arm is seen as over stepping its bound and encroaching on the powers of the executive arm as against the position of the National Council of Establishment, whose role is to review the condition of service pf the public service in conjunction with the Head of Service of the Federation.