The Oyo State Government has rejected the proposed extension of the retirement age for teachers and other civil servants from 60 to 65 years old.
In February, the Federal Government approved the extension of the retirement age from 60 to 65 years for clinically skilled health workers, emphasising the critical need to enhance the delivery of quality healthcare services to Nigerians and to improve the capacity for training others.
But on May 1, the Nigeria Labour Congress demanded that the upward review of the retirement age should be extended to all categories of civil servants.
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Sunday approved an immediate extension of the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65 years and increased their years of service from 35 to 40.
Similarly, Niger State Government, on Monday, approved the new retirement for teachers across the state, effective from January 1, 2026.
Speaking at the 2nd Multidisciplinary International Conference of the Postgraduate College, held at Lead City University, Ibadan, on Wednesday, the Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Mr Segun Olayiwola, disclosed that the State Executive Council had debated the issue extensively but concluded that extending the retirement age would hinder employment opportunities for younger graduates in the state.
He said, “It took us about five executive meetings to discuss this matter, and the memo that came to the house was for teachers only. Then other civil servants asked, ‘What about us?
“In Niger State, where it has been implemented, what is their population, and how many graduates are they turning out yearly? If we allow it to be raised to 65, those who are due to retire this year will remain for another five years.
“That means the 15,000 teachers we employed into primary and secondary schools in Oyo State would have been deprived of that opportunity because their positions would have been blocked.
“That is why it is not an agenda for this government to increase the retirement age to 65,” he said.
However, an educationist and Provost of the Postgraduate College, Lead City University, Prof. Afolakemi Oredein, supported extending the service years, particularly for academic mentors.
“When you are mentoring, we need well-experienced people to guide those coming up. Increasing it to 70 years is not a bad idea. It shows that experienced professors can bring up younger ones to become better researchers.”
She added that the policy could help address brain drain by retaining experienced academics in the system.
Similarly, an educationist and human capital development expert, Professor Godwin Oyedokun, stated that retirement in academia should be flexible and dependent on the individual’s strength and expertise.
“I attended a retirement ceremony at the University of Ibadan for a senior colleague who was older but very agile. I wondered why someone with such knowledge should be retiring now.
“These people often go on to do other things after retirement. Why not retain them a bit longer to utilise their experience? The older you grow, the more experience you have. For those still strong and active, they should be retained, but with reduced workload and periodic health checks to determine their fitness.”
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