Productivity Should Be The Correct Criterion For Continued Employment- Ohikere



Following the purported compulsory retirement of the clerk of the National Assembly Mr Sani-Omolori and no fewer than 160 other officers including the Secretary of the national assembly, a two time former Commissioner of Information of Kogi, Dr. Tom Ohikere has argued that it is wasteful to compel productive workers to retire at an arbitrary chronological age despite the resolution of the 8th National Assembly on the conditions of service of staffs which raised retirement age from 60 to 65 years and years of service from 35 to 40.

It is crystal clear that the leadership of the 9th National Assembly is looking into the position being canvassed by the commission but finds it intriguing that the National Assembly Service Commission has unilaterally gone ahead to take a decision, otherwise the National Assembly Service Commission does NOT have the powers to set aside the Revised Conditions of Service as passed by the 8th National Assembly.

"The Resolution of the 8th National Assembly on the Conditions of Service of Staff has not been rescinded nor abdicated by the National Assembly, who under the authentic National Assembly Service Act 2014 as passed is empowered to review any proposed amendment to the Conditions of Service by the Commission".


Ohikere said that productivity should be the correct criterion for continued employment.

"In Nigeria the retirement age for Judges, University Professors and Registrars was raised to 70, and 65 for other academics. The Daily Trust on June 6, 2019, reported that the Federal Government was considering raising the retirement age to 65 for school teachers. The Federal Ministry of Finance said it will not oppose a Bill to that effect. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Barrister Yakubu Dogara, assured visiting leaders of the Nigerian Union of Teachers that the National Assembly would support it.

In a tacit way, under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the retirement age of some Federal Permanent Secretaries was raised by at least one year. The official reason was to enable them put new Ministers through on policies and ensure smoothness in implementing those policies.
As stated earlier, another reason for raising the retirement age in some countries is largely the inadequacy of money to cater for a large number of retirees, especially from ever shrinking budgetary provisions from which the defined benefit system is funded.

From 2007 to date, over 80 countries around the world have raised the retirement age for their workers. The retirement age in Libya was raised to 70 years in 2017. Most of Europe is moving toward fixing 67 years as the age of retirement. The retirement age is 68 in the Netherlands.

It is therefore unjustifiable for the National assembly service commission to attempt to set aside an amendment that was passed by the 8th National Assembly because of a targeted interest, Nigeria will not continue to be overwhelmed by personal interest of some sec which do not represent the interest of the country.