The National Assembly Service Commission has issued a query to the embattled Clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, over his failure to proceed on retirement.
The query dated July 16, was signed by the chairman of the commission, Ahmed Amshi.
The commission had on Wednesday directed that those who had attained the age of 60 or 35 years in service should proceed on compulsory retirement.
Mr Sani-Omolori has spent 35 years in service but seeks to continue in office.
The tenure of the clerk has generated controversy because of the implementation of the National Assembly Revised Condition of Service which took effect in 2019.
Based on the controversially amended conditions, the clerk and no fewer than 160 officers, who were to have retired from office, were expected to remain in office for about five more years, after the retirement age was raised from 60 to 65 years and years of service from 35 to 40.
Mr Amshi-led commission, however, ignored the amendment by the two chambers of the National Assembly in 2018 and asked all those affected to proceed on compulsory retirement.
Reacting to the directive, the clerk insisted that the retirement age for the National Assembly remains 40 years of service or 65 years of age.
He said the resolution of the National Assembly which increased the age and years of service has not been amended and that the commission has no powers to intervene in the controversy.
In the query, Mr Amshi faulted the clerk’s statement describing it as gross insubordination. Mr Sani-Omolori was also given 24 hours to respond to the query.
“As you are very much aware, the Clerk to the National Assembly is an employee of the National Assembly Service Commission, vide Section 6(1)b of the National Assembly Service Act, 2014 (As amended).
“The Clerk to the National Assembly has no authority whatsoever to dictate anything to the Commission. Your press release is considered by the Commission as a gross insubordination to a constituted authority.
“You are, by this letter requested to explain to the Commission within twenty four (24) hours as to why disciplinary action will not be taken against you as per the provision of Section 6(2)b of the National Assembly Service Act, 2014 (As Amended) for this gross insubordination,” part of the statement read.
Although the controversial bill was proposed and passed at a time that the commission had not been constituted, the revised conditions, however, appear to be very popular with a majority of the over 4,000-strong workforce of the National Assembly who all stand to benefit from the implementation, one way or the other.
However, critics of the amendment say it was never signed into law by President Buhari and it was self-serving to primarily benefit Mr Sani-Omolori.
