The House of Representatives has introduced a Bill seeking to increase the retirement age of parliamentary workers from 60 to 65 years or from 35 to 40 years in service.

The Bill which seeks to amend the existing Act and give legal backing to a new condition of service, is sponsored by the chief whip of the House, Hon. Tahir Monguno, and was read in the House during Wednesday’s plenary.

According to Monguno, the bill if adopted, will professionalize the service and ensure the transfer of knowledge and experience by the top-level management staff who are on the verge of exiting the system.

He said, by the time the current top-level management exits, most of the staff who came through federal civil service would have left service; it requires strong capacity and knowledge to pilot and stabilize the bureaucracy, hence the five years extension remains a better option, as against hiring retired staff as consultants to do the same work they can do with just 58 years without additional cost and burden.

He added that the Bill would help build institutional memory and develop a career progression plan within the bureaucracy of the National Assembly.

“This hopes to lead to modest improvement in the condition of service of the staff, strengthen and reposition the legislative by laying a solid foundation for sustainable legislative bureaucracy,” he argued.