Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president, says he will not repeal the harmonised retirement age law for teachers put in place in Delta by the administration of Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of the state.
Omo-Agege, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Delta, spoke in reaction to rumours that he would repeal the law if elected governor of the state.
The law was passed by the national assembly in 2021 and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022.
Thereafter, Okowa’s administration in liaison with the state house of assembly domesticated the legislation for it to take effect in Delta.
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In a statement on Friday, Sunny Areh, media aide to Omo-Agege, quoted his principal as saying that the rumour was the handiwork of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
“For record purposes, senator Omo-Agege is part of the leadership of the national assembly as deputy president of the senate that worked assiduously for the passage of the harmonised retirement age for teachers in Nigeria bill into law,” NAN quoted him as saying.
“To now suggest that the same law I facilitated its passage into law will be rolled back when I become governor after winning the rescheduled March 18, governorship election is not just stupid and idiotic but farcical.
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“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.”
Omo-Agege expressed dismay that it took a year for the Okowa administration to domesticate the law, noting that he would upgrade educational infrastructure and improve the welfare of teachers if given the opportunity to serve.
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