The Niger State Government has approved a new retirement age of 65 years for teachers and 70 years for professors, effective January 1, 2026.
Governor Umaru Bago announced the policy shift during the 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Minna, organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Niger State Chapter, in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
Bago said the move aims to preserve the values of teachers and ensure knowledge transfer across generations. He also approved the reintroduction of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) levies, stressing that collections must be supervised by the Ministry of Education to guarantee accountability.
As part of his administration’s welfare drive, the governor announced a wage award of N20,000 to be paid to all teachers in the state next month, alongside the donation of an 18-seater bus to the NUT. He further approved a retreat for teachers advancing to Level 17, pledging to remove the profession from the bureaucracy of the civil service and give it a distinct structure.
“My administration is committed to the welfare of teachers. From now on, primary school teachers’ employment and promotion must be handled by the Local Government Service Commission, while SUBEB will only screen and provide information,” Bago said.
NUT Chairman, Comrade Adamu Mohammed Akayago, praised the development, noting that teachers are not just knowledge bearers but builders of the nation’s future.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Aishatu Nuhu Yalwa, described teachers as the custodians of values who hold the future of children in their hands.
Delivering the keynote address, NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, stressed that Nigeria’s youthful and fast-growing population makes investing in teachers a national imperative.
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