Jonathan approves 70 yrs retirement age for professors

[DT]

President Goodluck Jonathan has signed into law the bill increasing retirement age for university lecturers.

The Act further amends the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No. 11, 1993. 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 has also signed the Bill for an Act entitled,  Retirement Age of Staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (Harmonisation) Act, 2012.

This new law harmonises the compulsory retirement age of staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education to be 65 years and exempts them from the Public Service Rule which requires a person to retire from the Public Service after serving for 35 years.

Both laws were in fulfilment of agreements reached with various academic unions after several strikes and schools closures.

Daily Trust