National Assembly Gets New Clerk Today as Ojo Proceeds on Pre-retirement Leave

Sunday Aborisade, in Abuja

Barring any last minute change, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Olatunde Ojo, may proceed on a three month pre-retirement leave today, according to sources at the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).

The development would then pave the way for the appointment of an acting Clerk pending the expiration of Ojo’s three months leave.
Findings by THISDAY revealed that Ojo, following an intense pressure from the leadership of the federal parliament and other critical stakeholders, had agreed to withdraw his letter to the NASC, requesting to remain on his desk during the three-month period.

He is due to retire on 14th February, 2023, after the expiration of his mandatory three months Pre-retirement Leave, expected to start today.
A senior official at the NASC, told THISDAY on conditions of anonymity that the outgoing CNA had agreed to bow out of the system after much pressure.
He was said to have asked the NASC Chairman, Ahmed Amshi, to put necessary arrangements in place and announce his successor.

The source said, “The outgoing CNA has asked the Commission to issue a letter of appointment to an acting CNA who will succeed him as he had made up to proceed on leave today.

Repeated calls put across to the Public Relations Officials of the NASC for further clarifications on the development was unsuccessful yesterday.
The Director of Information in the agency, Janet Mambula, neither picked her calls nor reply the text message sent to her as of the time of filing this report.
Sources told THISDAY in Abuja on Saturday that  the NASC  Commissioners would meet on Monday (today), to determine the appointment of a new CNA.
Investigation revealed that there were alleged plans by some powerful people to influence the appointment of the new CNA.

The plans sources alleged was to appoint the current Secretary of the Finance and Accounts Department, Sanni Magaji Tambuwal, as the new Clerk.
His proposed appointment was said to be currently being masterminded by a sitting Governor, and the outgoing Clerk.
“Tambuwal is a core finance staff member whose role it is to oversee the management of funds, and he lacks the necessary skill set to competently run the office of the clerk to the National Assembly.

“The outgoing clerk, Ojo, is also not from the legislative cadre, and he has since his appointment as Clerk to the National Assembly, proven to be a wrong choice. Under him, the commission has gone backwards,” the source alleged.
“The service rule, mandates Ojo to proceed on a three-month pre-retirement leave, preparatory to his retirement from service but he had yet to comply with the service rules.”

However, the NASC Chairman has denied rumours that some commissioners in the Commission were being influenced to subvert the civil service rule in favour of any individual.
He said, “It is not true. We cannot bring anybody from outside. Nobody has bribed any one, people are just making up this.

“We want to assure members of the commission that the right things would be done in selecting a new clerk.”