The bill seeking to extend the retirement age of staff of National Assembly has scaled through Second Reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The private member bill was sponsored by the Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Sani Madaki.

The controversial bill had during the 8th and 9th Assemblies suffered major setbacks following a series of opposition from various stakeholders who argued that the extension of the retirement age from 60 to 65 years and 35 service years to 40 years will create redundancy and stagnancy among the workers.

However in his lead debate on Tuesday, Madaki explained that the bill seeks to make provision for a harmonized retirement age for staff of the National Assembly and make it independent.

The proposed legislation also proposed a retirement age of 65 years or 40 years of service, whichever comes first.

He stated that this extension will help for the efficiency of work of the professionalized staff of the National Assembly.

On his part, Rep. Ali Isa who supported the Bill stated that it will maintain the specialized experience of staff in the National Assembly.

He stated that Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has also called for this extension across board which is already in practice in many parts of the world.

Also speaking, Rep. Abdullahi Rasheed argued that the bill when passed into law will boost the morale of the staff of the National Assembly and ensure they deliver on the complex nature of the services they render.

After the debate, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Public Service Matters for further legislative action.