Akpabio Kicks Against Service Elongation By Bureaucrats

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has vehemently opposed the practice of top bureaucrats in the National Assembly remaining in office after their service years expire.

He called on the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to fully exercise its powers, as conferred by the extant act, to remove such bureaucrats from service without further delay.

Akpabio made these remarks when he received the outgoing Chairman and members of the NASC yesterday in Abuja.

“Mr. Chairman and members of the National Assembly Service Commission, your visit today to formally notify me of the end of your tenure brings mixed feelings,” he said. “It is sad to lose such an experienced hand like you, but simultaneously, I am happy that you ended well after five years in office.”

He added, “However, as you hand over to the Secretary of the Commission, pending the time the Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives and I make recommendations for new Chairman and members, the lapses observed within the last few years must be addressed.”

Akpabio noted one of these lapses is the reluctance of some clerks—whether to the National Assembly, the Senate, or the House of Representatives—to exit office upon the expiration of their service years, along with the commission’s lethargy in enforcing this at the appropriate time.

“Tolerating such behaviour from ‘sit-tight’ bureaucrats has brought unnecessary politics into the system, leading to the factionalisation of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) and threats from some individuals to take the leadership of the National Assembly to ‘Berekete Radio,’ also known as Human Rights Radio, forgetting that Nigeria has not established a human rights radio,” he said.

He emphasised, “The politicisation of tenure or years of service for staff of the National Assembly is a result of NASC’s actions and inactions, and this must stop. NASC must adhere to the provisions of the letters of appointment issued.”

Akpabio also pointed out that the refusal by some clerks, secretaries, or directors to proceed on terminal leave is a clear case of service elongation, which NASC must enforce.

“In light of this, an amendment will be made to the NASC Establishment Act so that its Secretary will work more closely with the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure a more disciplined and efficient service delivery system,” he said.

Earlier, the outgoing Chairman of NASC, Engineer Ahmed Kadi Amshi, informed the Senate President that he and five of the six National Commissioners of the Commission would conclude their service on February 7, 2025, after assuming office on February 7, 2020.

He added that the commissioner representing the South East would remain in office until October 14, 2026, since he was appointed on October 15, 2021.