BEVERLY HILLS, July 17, (THEWILL) – The National Assembly Service Commission has appointed a new clerk for the National Assembly and other top management personnel after forcing the clerk and some management staff into retirement.
Executive Chairman of the Commission, Ahmed Amshi, in a two-page statement at the end of an emergency meeting of the Commission named Ojo Amos Olatunde as the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly in-place of Mohammed Sani-Omolori, the Clerk, who had earlier rejected the Commission’s directive to proceed on retirement.
Other appointments include Bala Yabani Mohammed to Act as Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly and Dauda Ibrahim El-Ladan as Acting Clerk of the Senate. He replaced Nelson Ayewoh as Acting Clerk, Senate.
The commission said Patrick .A. Giwa will continue to serve as Clerk, House of Representatives pending his retirement in November, 2020 while Yusuf Asir Danbatta was named the Acting Secretary to the National Assembly Service Commission
All appointments, according to Amshi, which are with immediate effect, are in line with section 6(b) the National Assembly Service Act 2014 (as Amended) which gave the Commission power to appoint persons to the office of the Clerk to the National Assembly and other offices.
THEWILL recalls that Sani-Omolori had rejected his retirement alongside those of 151 others, including the Secretary of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Olusanya Ajakaiye.
The commission said workers who had attained the retirement age of 35 years in service or is 60 years of age should leave saying such workers will get their retirement letters soon.
However, in his reaction, Sani-Omolori directed the affected workers to ignore the commission’s statement, saying it has no power to take such a decision.
In a counter-statement, he said: “The attention of the National Assembly Management has been drawn to a statement, dated July 15, 2020, by the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission, informing the general public that the commission had approved the retirement age of workers of the National Assembly as 35 years of service or 60 years of age, whichever comes first.
“The management of the National Assembly wishes to inform all workers and the general public that the extant regulation, as contained in our Revised Conditions of Service, duly passed by both chambers of the Eighth National Assembly, puts the retirement age of workers at 40 years of service and 65 years of age, whichever comes first.
“The Resolution of the Eighth National Assembly on the Conditions of Service of Workers has not been rescinded nor abdicated by the National Assembly, which, under the authentic National Assembly Service Act 2014, as passed, is empowered to review any proposed amendment to the Conditions of Service by the Commission.
“Therefore, the National Assembly Service Commission does not have the powers to set aside the Revised Conditions of Service, as passed by the Eighth National Assembly.”
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