Jonathan Signs Amended Bills On Retirement Age Of Tertiary Institution Staff

ABUJA, May 14, (THEWILL) - President Goodluck Jonathan has signed the Bill for an Act entitled, Retirement Age of Staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (Harmonisation) Act, 2012, according to a Monday statement issued by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati.

The law harmonises the compulsory retirement age of staff of polytechnics and colleges of education to 65 years, and exempts them from the Public Service rule requiring a person to retire from the Public Service after serving for 35 years.

“President Jonathan has also assented to the Bill for an Act to further amend the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No. 11, 1993,” the statement further announced.

“The new Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2012, limits the tenure of principal officers of universities to a single term of five years, while increasing the compulsory retirement age of staff in the professorial cadre and non-academic staff in Nigerian universities to 70 and 65 years respectively.”

The president’s assent to the bills is expected to finally lay to rest the contentious retirement-age policy for staff of tertiary institutions, which has been one of the drivers of recent industrial actions embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASU), the Non Academic Staff of universities (NAS), and other similar tertiary institution unions.