A fresh crisis has begun at Nigeria’s National Assembly over the retirement of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori and over 150 senior management staff members of the parliament.
The National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), on Wednesday announced the retirement of the Clerk, Sani-Omolori and the others.
But the National Assembly Clerk being retired has dismissed that retirement as illegal.
Chairman of the NASC, Ahmed Amshi, had announced the retirement in a statement, titled: ‘The National Assembly Service Commission Approves the Retirement Age for the Staff of the National Assembly as 35 Years of Service or 60 Years of Age, Whichever Comes First.’
Sani-Omolori, however, in another statement, said: “The management of the National Assembly wishes to inform all staff and the general public that the extant regulation as contained in our Revised Conditions of Service duly passed by both chambers of the 8th National Assembly puts the retirement age of staff at 40 years of service and 65 years of age, whichever comes first.”
If what Sani-Omolori is referring to is regulation, can that supersede the Nigerian law? Or if what both chambers of the NASS passed was a Bill to put retirement age of staff at 40 years of service and 65 years of age, can that become an Act without the president’s signature? Did the president sign it?