By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The five-year tenure of the board of the National Assembly Service Commission [NASC], under the chairmanship of Engr Ahmed Amshi, will end today, Friday, February 7, 2025.
The Board held a valedictory meeting on Thursday, February 6, 2025 to deliberate and finalise its winding down process.
The commission was inaugurated in 2015 consequent upon the enactment of the Establishment Act.
The 13-member board (with two members from each geo-political zone as circumscribed in the enabling Act) was proposed under the Bukola Saraki Senate Presidency from 2015- 2019, with Senator Joy Emordi penciled down as Chairman, but the arrangement was not consummated until Saraki left office.
The board was inaugurated under Ahmad Lawan Senate Presidency in 2020 with Ahmed Amshi, a legislative aide to Lawan, getting appointed as chairman to preside over a 13-member board that comprised some former federal legislators both from the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) Act of 2014 gives the NASC the power to manage human resources, make regulations, and handle establishment matters for the National Assembly.
It is saddled with the responsibilities to appoint, promote, and transfer staff members, in addition to dismissing and exercising disciplinary control over staff members.
In addition, it establishes a retirement benefit scheme for retiring officers and makes regulations relating to conditions of service, including salaries and allowances.
NASC formulates and implements guidelines for its functions.
It handles establishment matters of the National Assembly, including appointment of the Clerk to the National Assembly, the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, and other offices in the service of the National Assembly
The Commission submits an estimate of its income and expenditure to the National Assembly each year.
The NASC is empowered to handle these functions without having to rely on the Federal Civil Service Commission.
In 2020 the Commission sent jitters down the spines of staff members by directing the then Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Ataba Mohammed Omolori and over one hundred and fifty (150) staff members due for retirement, to retire immediately.
However, after the administrative cleansing, the commission became highly political, indulging in moves, overtures, and decisions that compromised and undermined its mandate.
Recently, after successfully and seamlessly consummating the appointment of Barrister Kamorudeen Ogunlana as the substantive Clerk to the Natiional Assembly, it had gone ahead to mess up the appointment of the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly by elevating the wrong person to the position.
The plot orchestrated by Engineer Amshi saw Ibrahim Atiku named as acting DCNA, but after the top bureaucrats protested to the leadership of the National Assembly, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, intervenef to cure the mischief caused by Amshi.
Bashir Yero was eventually picked from the pool of 13 permanent secretaries to step into the position of DCNA.
It would be recalledl that the Senate confirmed the appointment of board members for the National Assembly Service Commission with Ahmed Amshi, the former Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan as Chairman. Mr. Amshi, along with 12 others, in 2015.
Amshi has served out his term of five years as the executive chairman. The same applies to members of the Commission.
In a letter read by the then President of the Senate, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, at the plenary session of Tuesday, 10 December 2019, the then President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded the names of the nominees for screening and confirmation.
Members of the Board included Babagana Modu, Sen. Abubakar Tutare, Hakeem Akamo, Tunrayo Akintomide, Atanomeyorwi Francis, Engr. Bassey Etuk, Hon. Bassey Etuk, Hon. Bailyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi, Sadi Saidu Kazaure, Sen. Julius Ucha, Nnamdi Anyaehie, Auwalu Aliyu Ohindase, and Muazu Is’haq.
The constitution of a new Board had raised several controversies arising from the earlier nomination of Sen. Joy Emordi as the Executive Chairman and the extension of tenure for the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Sen. Emordi, who had earlier been nominated for the office, was expected to take over from Dr. Adamu Fika, the immediate past Chairman whose tenure expired in July 2019, following his retirement from the Federal Civil Service.
The Senator Emordi takeover [proposed chairmanship] fell through as she did not make the list eventually.
THE CONCLAVE