Investigations conducted by The PUNCH have revealed that over 600 teachers within the federal civil service, specifically under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Defence, who availed themselves of the Federal Government’s service elongation package for teachers, are currently facing a dire predicament as they have gone without salaries for a staggering 23 months.JAMB Portal
This service elongation initiative for teachers was introduced during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The beneficiaries of this scheme are educators working in some of the country’s unity schools, as well as schools owned by the military and paramilitary.JAMB Result
On January 20, 2021, the Federal Executive Council sanctioned a Bill aimed at extending the retirement age and service tenure of teachers. At that time, Adamu Adamu, who was the Minister of Education, articulated that the primary objective of the Bill was to legally enforce the new retirement age of 65 years, an increase from the previous 60 years, and to extend the duration of service from 35 to 40 years for teachers. Additionally, the Bill sought to introduce incentives such as bursary awards, special rural posting allowances, and other inducements to encourage talented Nigerians to pursue careers in teaching.
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In April 2022, President Buhari formally enacted the harmonized Bill into law, with the implementation effective from January 2022.NYSC PORTAL
Nevertheless, the investigation uncovered that the Federal Ministry of Education, in a memorandum dated January 26, 2021, had instructed teachers in its unity schools not to proceed with retirement but to continue their service ahead of President Buhari’s final approval and signing of the Bill into law.InformationGuideNigeria
The memo was tagged “FME/HRM/S234/1” and it read, “This is to inform you that the Federal Executive Council at its meeting of Wednesday, 20 January 2021 approved 65 years and 40 years as retirement age and years of service, respectively, for the teaching profession. Implementation of this new scheme is with effect from 1st January 2021.
“It should be noted that the new retirement, years of service is not automatic, as officers will be required to demonstrate fitness after medical examination and those found to be unfit will be advised to retire.”
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