By Abdulateeef Bamgbose
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has admonished the National Assembly Service Commission, NASC, to always be firm in the enforcement of its laws in the discharge of its statutory functions.
Akpabio gave the charge on Monday when the outgoing Chairman of the commission, Engr Ahmed Amshi and his members paid him a farewell visit and to present their exit report.
The Senate president expressed displeasure at the incessant disregard of the provisions of the enabling laws by some top officials of the National Assembly who, at one time or the other, demonstrated reluctance to disengage from service at the end of their tenure as prescribed by the law.
Akpabio said if the commission had engaged in constant consultations with presiding officers of the Assembly, most of the observed lapses would have been forestalled or addressed.
Addressing the outgoing chairman and commissioners, the Senate president said: “We have noticed serious reluctance on the part of the clerk of the National Assembly to vacate office when the constitutional end of his tenure had elapsed.
“We have also noticed lethargy on the part of the commission to enforce the constitutional provisions that anyone who has served for 35 years or attained the age of 60 should vacate office.
“Sometimes you are afraid to enforce the law. But that is what you should do. You should enforce the law.
“You see people coming to me to say someone extended his tenure by some months. There was even one that they said overstayed for almost one year and they had to get the police to lock his office.
“Others are saying we must have an extension of five years by all means after all, they have extended for judges and professors of universities.
“That kind of derailed their vision and brought unnecessary politics into the system because we now have Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN, being divided into two. Those who support tenure elongation and those who do not support it.
“I believe that unnecessary politicisation of the tenures of your staff are due to the action and inaction of the National Assembly Service Commission because if you were firm and applied the provisions of the Act to the letter, nobody will dare to stay one hour longer.
“I am aware that sometimes you give people letters to go on terminal leave and even say they should hand over to someone, they ignore you and you don’t do anything about it. You continue as if it does not matter. It does matter because when indiscipline is allowed to creep into the system, it means the system cannot function well.”
Akpabio, however, lauded the outgoing chairman and his team for their achievements in the last five years of their tenure.
The outgoing chairman of the NASC, who enumerated the achievements of his team put together in two volume of reports and presented to the Senate president, thanked him for the support he gave to the commission during his tenure.
“We are most sincerely grateful to the leadership of the National Assembly for giving us the opportunity to serve in this capacity.
“In spite of all the challenges faced, we are exiting as a satisfied people who contributed our quota in the development of our dear nation.
“Your leadership qualities, support and encouragement significantly impacted on us to have made these modest achievements,” he said.
