Worried by the seeming collapse in the administration of the National Assembly Service Commission, NASC, due to perceived incompetence of the current Ahmed Kadi Amshi’s leadership, some concerned staff members of the National Assembly have launched an advocacy for a review of qualifications and experience for appointment into the NASC.
Appointments into the NASC are done by the presiding officers of the National Assembly.
The current Chairman, Engineer Ahmed Kadi Amshi, is a protégé of the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan. He was a Senior Legislative Aide to Lawan as Senate Leader from 2017-2019.
THE CONCLAVE reports that staff members of the National Assembly are worried that the NASC under Amshi’s leadership has incompetently administered the Commission.
They said the Commission was operating like “a conquered territory” of the Senate President to the detriment of progress of staff members of the National Assembly.
The Commission has, in recent times, reportedly presided over a situation in which some top management staff members have been denied promotion in substantive capacity on the grounds of gender bias and ethnicity.
It was learnt that concerned staff members have launched a quiet advocacy to pressure the NASS leadership to consider possession of robust legislative experience by prospective chairman and commissioners of the NASC.
They are proposing former Clerks to the National Assembly, former Deputy Clerks to the National Assembly, former Clerks of Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration as chairman/members while former legislators at any level should be appointed as members.
The former Clerks are believed to be well versed in the affairs and issues that the NASS management contend with administratively and would be in a better position to leverage their robust experience to activate the intervention by the NASC.
A staff member said: “As former clerks, they are acquainted with the workings of the National Assembly, the staff members’ functions and other related duties and responsibilities, including records of seniority, career progression and competence.”
They also gave instances where in the past strong-willed, versatile and experienced chairmen of the commission then held sway to contrast the present situation where someone without administrative experience in the Legislature or in the Senate and House of Representatives is the chairman of the NASC.
According to the staff member, “They dispatched their responsibilities with authority, informed positions and in accordance with the civil service rules and regulations.
“I refer to the likes of former chairmen like Ishaya Akau, the late Aliyu Ahmed Dogondaji and Adamu Fika-led commission,very sound and seasoned bureaucrats, who without any fear or intimidation from any quarter discharged the functions of their office. Staff discipline, promotion and welfare were top on their agenda.
“The level of indiscipline, polarisation and disrespect in service today, under the Amshi-led NASC, is unfortunate and unprecedented.”
In fact, they queried why a former legislative aide (Amshi) should be the chairman of the commission.
According to one of the staff members, “he (Amshi) lacks the legislative capacity and experience to creditably perform in that exalted position.”
Similarly, the staff members frowned at a situation where former senators of the federal republic and a member of the federal House of Representatives, are serving as commissioners under a legislative aide as their chairman and boss.
They listed the former federal legislators as Senator Julius Ucha (2003-2007-11), Senator Abubakar Tutare (2011-2015) and Hon. Bilyaminu Shinkafi (2011-2015).
THE CONCLAVE reports that the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has promised and even announced a former Senator, Joy Emordi, as Chairman of the NASC. But before the process could be consummated, there were elections and Saraki could not return to the Senate.
Lawan who became the Senate President reviewed the proposed appointments and brought in his former senior legislative aide (Amshi) as Chairman of the NASC.
The concerned staff members lamented that the presiding officers were mostly responsible for this decadence befalling the institution at this point in time, noting that this “come and chop” attitude or prebendal politics should stop.
“They should stop lowering the standard and impugning the integrity of this hallowed institution or else it will collapse irretrievably. Sadly, these presiding officers come and go after every four years, but the institution will remain and possibly outlive everyone of them,” a staff member declared.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
