IT’S OFFICIAL: Teachers to now retire at age 65 — or after 40 years in service

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the harmonised retirement age for teachers bill into law.

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Buhari had sent the executive bill to the national assembly in June 2021.

The house of representatives and senate subsequently conducted legislative work on the bill and passed it after the second and third readings.

The bill, which has now become law, increases the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years.

The legislation also extends the duration of service for teachers in the country from 35 to 40 years.

“Section 1 of the Act clearly states that Teachers in Nigeria shall compulsorily retire on the attainment of 65 years of age or 40 years of pensionable service, whichever is earlier,” the statement reads.

“While the provision of Section 3 of the Act provides that the Public Service Rule or any Legislation that requires a person to retire from the Public Service at 60 years of age or after 35 years of Service shall not apply to Teachers in Nigeria.”

The presidential spokesman said Buhari also signed three other bills into law.

They are the Nigeria Law Reform Commission Act, 2022; National Biotechnology Development Agency Act, 2022 and Federal Medical Centre, Hong (Establishment) Act, 2022.

According to Shehu, the Law Reform Act will ensure that the legal profession is in line with international best practices.

Shehu said the National Biotechnology Development Agency Act “provides legal framework for the National Biotechnology Development Agency to carry out research, create and develop public awareness in biotechnology in order to encourage private sector participation in the biotechnology industry in Nigeria”.

On the Federal Medical Centre (Establishment) Act, Hong, Adamawa, the presidential spokesperson said it “will be headed by a medical director who shall be appointed by the president on the recommendation of the minister of health, and shall be the chief executive and accounting officer of the medical centre as stipulated in Section 9 of the Act”.