Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has approved the implementation of the new retirement age and length of service for all categories of teachers in the state that are recognized by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN.
Recall that the immediate past Governor of the State, Chief Samuel Ortom had in May before his exit signed the Bill extending the exit ages of teachers including those in tertiary institutions which set the new retirement age at 65 while the length of service was fixed at 40 years depending on which comes first.
According a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, which was made available to newsmen weekend in Makurdi, the approval was contained in a circular signed by the Head of Service, Dr. Moses Ode.
According to the statement, “the new implementation takes effect from May, 2023, following the enactment of the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers by the Benue State House of Assembly, which was signed into law by the outgone administration.
“Under the new approval, the new age of retirement for the teaching profession is sixty five (65) years with the length of service pegged at forty (40) years, depending on whichever is earlier for the teachers.”
The statement noted that “with the new development, there will no longer be boundaries in the implementation of the harmonized retirement age/length of service for Education officers/Teachers.
“However, those who are not interested in elongation scheme are free to apply for retirement from the service, in line with extant Public Service Rules.
“Furthermore, the Education Officers, Teachers and the general public are to note that, the Harmonized Retirement Age Law 2023, is superior to any guideline on the subject.”
VANGUARD