A group, Concerned Nigerians For Good Conscience, has kicked against the appointment of Sani Magaji Tambuwal as the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Tambuwal’s appointment followed the retirement of Mr Amos Ojo as the clerk of the National Assembly and Mr Bala Yabani, the Deputy Clerk.
The group, which is calling for immediate reversal of the appointment, described it as a travesty of justice and contrary to the letters of NASS service laws.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Elder Simon Bako, and the secretary, Dr Roland Oyegun, on Monday, the group said the rule and tradition were that the highest-ranking staff of NASS would succeed the Clerk upon retirement and wondered why Tambuwal who was seventh down the rung would be appointed.
According to them, “We note with consternation, the appointment of Alhaji Sani Magaji Tambuwal, secretary of the directorate of Finance and accounts as the new Clerk of the National Assembly.
“This appointment looks like the completion of an unsavoury nepotistic cycle of the National Assembly Services Commission under the headship of Alhaji Ahmed Amshi, unfortunately, this is coming at a time when Nigeria is direly in need of national cohesion and meritocracy.
“Staff of NASS and well-meaning Nigerians are aghast at this travesty of civil service rules, the age-long tradition in the National Assembly has been that the office of Clerk of the National Assembly has always been occupied by the most senior legislative staff of the National Assembly.”
The group said that with the retirement of two most senior staff of the National Assembly, the next in line of succession was Mr Chinedu Akubueze.
They called on the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission to immediately reverse the injustice and allow the rules of the service to guide the succession process.
According to them, in a bizarre twist, the National Assembly service commission headed by Alhaji Ahmed Amshi went down to number seventh in the line of succession and appointed Alhaji Tambuwal ahead of his superiors.
“This is a travesty of statute and tradition and with this appointment, the National Assembly is now in the firm grip of a nepotistic triumvirate of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Senate President; Chairman of National Assembly Service Commission, Ahmed Amshi; Clerk of National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Tambuwal,” it stated.
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