The National Assembly faces a significant staff exodus, with over 30 top officials, including Clerk Magaji Tambawal, set to retire in 2024-2025.
The National Assembly of Nigeria is set to witness a significant turnover, with no fewer than 30 high-ranking officials preparing to retire, including the Clerk to the National Assembly, Magaji Tambawal, according to sources familiar with the developments.
Tambawal, who began his pre-retirement leave on November 1, 2024, handed over his duties to his deputy, Kamouroudeen Ogundele, marking the start of a notable shift in the National Assembly’s leadership.
Tambawal, appointed as acting Clerk in November 2022 and confirmed in March 2023, is set to officially retire in February 2025, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.
However, his retirement process has already begun, with no further assignments to be undertaken from the start of his leave until his official retirement.
This major exodus follows the decision of President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent to a proposed bill that would have extended the retirement age of parliamentary staff to 65 years, or 40 years of service, from the current law of 60 years or 35 years of service.
The bill had been introduced in previous Assemblies but failed to pass, despite having gained approval in the 10th Assembly in late 2023 and early 2024.
In addition to Tambawal, the retirement of several prominent officials will shake up the National Assembly. The Clerk to the Senate, Chinedu Akabueze, along with the Deputy Clerk to the Senate and the Deputy Clerk of the House of Representatives, are among those preparing to leave their posts.
The retirements will also affect 11 directors, six deputy directors, an assistant director, and two other senior directors at the National Assembly Service Commission.
This mass departure comes after President Tinubu rejected the bill that sought to extend the retirement age, which would have allowed parliamentary staff to remain in service for longer.
As a result, many staff members, employed since the early 1990s when the National Assembly was first established, are set to retire either due to reaching the age limit or the threshold of 35 years of service.
The retirement wave is expected to continue into 2025, with up to 30 more top officials anticipated to retire in January 2025.
Many of those retiring now are expected to have reached 60 years of age or fulfilled the 35-year service requirement, marking the end of a significant era at the National Assembly.
Sources within the Assembly have expressed concerns over the impact of this exodus, particularly regarding the loss of institutional knowledge and legislative memory.
One insider warned that the departure of such a large number of experienced staff could lead to challenges in maintaining continuity and expertise within the legislative process.
“The parliament thrives on the longitude of service years; the experience will always be needed,” said one source, expressing concern over the loss of key institutional knowledge.
Beyond the high-ranking officials, numerous mid-level and junior staff members are also set to retire or resign, leaving a considerable gap in staffing.
Another insider warned that the National Assembly’s ability to fill these vacancies effectively could be limited, especially when it comes to maintaining legislative memory and the continuity of the parliamentary processes.
“We need to ask, do they have the manpower to fill these voids?” the source said. “The experience and knowledge that are leaving with these retirements are irreplaceable, and this could affect the quality of the legislative work.”
Despite these concerns, another official with inside knowledge revealed that the total number of retirees is closer to 46, contrary to earlier reports suggesting that up to 80 staff members would retire between 2024 and 2025.
As the National Assembly braces for this significant personnel shift, the immediate concern for many is how the incoming staff will adapt and manage the responsibilities left behind by their predecessors.
While the retirements are inevitable, the speed at which replacements are found and the quality of these appointments will be key in ensuring the continued functioning of the legislative body.