No fewer than 30 senior officials are set to retire alongside Clerk to the National Assembly, Magaji Tambawal, sources reveal. Tambawal officially began his pre-retirement leave on November 1, 2024, handing over duties to Deputy Clerk Kamouroudeen Ogundele. Appointed acting Clerk in November 2022 and confirmed by March 2023, Tambawal will turn 60 in February 2025, at which point he will formally retire, although he will not handle any tasks during his pre-retirement period.
An official document indicates that key departing staff include the Clerk to the Senate, Chinedu Akabueze, the Deputy Clerk to the Senate, and the Deputy Clerk of the House of Representatives. Other retirees include 11 directors, six deputy directors, one assistant director, and two directors from the National Assembly Service Commission.
This wave of retirements follows President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to sign a bill seeking an extension for parliamentary staff service. The proposed bill aimed to raise the retirement age to 65 or 40 years of service; however, the current law mandates retirement at 60 years of age or 35 years of service. First introduced in the 7th Assembly, the bill faced repeated rejections, including in the 8th and 9th Assemblies. In the 10th Assembly, Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki reintroduced the bill, which progressed to a second reading in October 2023 and passed in December. Although initially rejected by the Senate, it was eventually passed in March 2024 and forwarded to the President, who ultimately declined to sign it.
With the President’s decision, a significant number of directors are scheduled to retire between October and December, with additional retirements expected in early 2025. Sources report that the bulk of these retirements stem from staffers who joined in the early 1990s, resulting in a high volume of departures among long-serving employees. Most will be leaving due to reaching either the mandatory retirement age of 60 or completing 35 years of service in the civil sector.
One source confirmed that these retirements are being implemented in phases, with another wave of 20-30 expected in January 2025. Another insider highlighted that many current and upcoming retirees are senior officials, which could impact the institution’s legislative memory—a key asset in maintaining parliamentary continuity and expertise.
Contrary to speculated figures, officials close to the matter clarified that the actual number of retirements between January and December 2024 stands at 46, not the rumored 80. A senior source remarked, “While there is indeed a high volume of retirements this year and next, the official count remains significantly lower than suggested.”
