The National Assembly of Nigeria is witnessing a significant exodus of top officials, with no fewer than 30 senior staff members set to retire alongside Clerk Magaji Tambawal following President Bola Tinubu’s refusal to assent to the bill requesting service elongation for parliamentary staff, a report from the Punch Newspaper exclusively revealed.
Tambawal, who began his pre-retirement leave on November 1, 2024, will officially retire in February 2025, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.
The bill sought to increase the retirement age to 65 years or 40 years of service, while the extant law prescribes 60 years of age or 35 years of service for retirement.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of the mass retirement on legislative memory, with many experienced staff leaving the National Assembly.
As gathered by newsmen, a source disclosed that,, “The number of people retiring between this year and even till next year is quite huge. This is because many of the civil servants will be clocking 60 years.
“Even those who will be stepping into the new shoes have a few months to spend in the offices before they get to retirement age.”
Another source disclosed that, “There is no lie that a large number of people are retiring this year and next year.
“My worry is, do they have manpower on the ground that will fill that void? And if they do, what of the legislative memory? The parliament thrives on the longitude of service years; the experience will always be needed.”
Other sources said, “80 is far-fetched. Yes, people are retiring and people will still retire. But the total number of people retiring between January and December is 46.”
While initial reports suggested that up to 80 staff members would be retiring, high-ranking officers have disputed this figure, stating that the actual number is barely 50, with 46 staff members having retired or set to retire between January and December 2024.
Meanwhile, the mass retirement is expected to be in batches, with about 20.
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Jerome Kalu
Jerome Kalu is currently the Senior Correspondent of PIJAlance in Lagos. He was previously the Campus Information Desk (CID) Editor.