Anthony Iwuoma
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has commended the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, for playing a key role in harmonising the retirement age of teachers.
The new law, which increased teachers’ retirement age from 60 to 65 years, has been signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the letter of appreciation signed by the Secretary-General of NUT, Dr. Mike Ike Ene, NUT noted the active role of Nwajiuba, whose responsibility is to oversee basic and secondary education.
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The NUT scribe assured that teachers are now more motivated to carry out their responsibilities, adding: “The national leadership of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the entire teachers of Nigeria hereby express our profound gratitude to you for graciously working to encourage Mr. President’s assent to the Bill for Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria.
“We are also confident that this great milestone will have an enormous turnaround in Nigeria’s education system. The impact of this well-intended act will raise the bars of primary and secondary education and the additional 5 years of mentorship by the senior and more experienced teachers on the newly employed and junior teachers in the primary and secondary schools.
“The Nigerian teachers on our part will by this singular privilege be motivated to higher commitment in our professional calling.”
It will be recalled that Nwajiuba, a front runner for the All Progressives Congress, APC’s presidential ticket in the 2023 presidential race for which a group of supporters had purchased the forms for him has come under attack by forms critics because of the protracted strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
However, contrary to the stand of these critics, the NUT has exposed that the minister lacks the power to stop the strike by the university lecturers’ union since his brief covers only basic and secondary education
