Pension dilemma of National Assembly staff retirees

This is a passionate appeal to the leadership and management of the National Assembly to reconsider their proposal in excluding staff of the National Assembly retirees that retired before 2023 from the NASS Pension Scheme Amendment Bill currently before the two chambers. In May 2025, the Senate passed for second reading a bill to amend […]

This is a passionate appeal to the leadership and management of the National Assembly to reconsider their proposal in excluding staff of the National Assembly retirees that retired before 2023 from the NASS Pension Scheme Amendment Bill currently before the two chambers.

In May 2025, the Senate passed for second reading a bill to amend the National Assembly Service Pension Board Act, aiming to restructure the pension framework for legislative staff.

The bill proposes an amendment that seeks to revert the current scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), restructure the board’s governance, reintroduce gratuity payments, and create a fund for the scheme’s sustainability.

Though the existing Act has faced implementation challenges, leaving many retired National Assembly staff without access to their benefits since 2023, it will be recalled that before leaving office in 2023, former President late Muhammadu Buhari had on 23rd May 2023 signed the National Assembly Service Pension Board (Establishment) Act, 2023.

Recall that S.15(2) of the Act stipulates that (this Act shall apply to all personnel of the service including those who had retired before the commencement of the Act).

Regrettably, by the proposed new Amendment, S.15 has been deleted thereby excluding those that retired before 2023. We are therefore appealing to the leadership of both chambers to consider the sacrifices of the former staff and inaugurate the National Assembly Pension Board in line with the Act signed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Muhammadu Sani wrote from Karu, Abuja