By; ADAMA JOHN, Lokoja
Kogi State Government has approved 65 years as retirement age for public schools teachers in the state, just as it has employed 3,979 new teachers to fill existing man power gaps in the system.
The decision to extend teachers’ retirement age from 60 to 65 years by the state government was reached during the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Yahaya Bello, held at Government House, Lokoja.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, said that approval has been given for the implementation of the 65 retirement age for public schools teachers in Kogi State.
According to him, the decision is meant to help the state align itself with the federal government’s policy on the retirement age for teachers, saying that the policy would enable government keeps its best for a much longer period.
He explained that the domestication of the new retirement age policy would provide students in the state the opportunity to draw from the experience and expertise of the teachers.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had in April this year, assented to the Law on Harmonisation of Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria, Act 2022.
The new law provides clearly in Section 1, “ that teachers in Nigeria shall compulsorily retire upon attainment of 65 years of age or 40 years of pensionable service, whichever comes earlier”.
Also, the State Executive Council has approved the purchase of thirty-two seater bus, each for the state male and female football teams, Kogi United and Confluence Queens in recognition of their excellent performances.
