At least 16 states of the federation are yet to implement the 65-year retirement policy for teachers.
This comes five years after the policy was first announced by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The late Buhari, during the 2020 World Teachers Day, promised that teachers in Nigeria would enjoy a new retirement age.
The Federal Executive Council, in January 2021, approved the bill, which was transmitted to the National Assembly in June.
Section 1 of the Act stated that Nigerian teachers shall compulsorily retire on attainment of 65 years of age or 40 years of pensionable service, whichever is earlier.
The provision of Section 3 of the Act provides that the Public Service Rule or any legislation that requires a person to retire from the public service at 60 years of age or after 35 years of Service shall not apply to teachers in Nigeria.
However, analysis by our correspondent, following data obtained from the Nigeria Union of Teachers, revealed that 16 states of the federation were yet to implement the new retirement age for teachers in their states.
The affected states are Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Rivers and Sokoto.
The NUT, however, said that though the implementation had commenced in Nasarawa, the state government imposed stringent conditions.
The Academic Union of Senior Secondary Schools, while mourning the death of the former president, urged the federal and state governments to immortalise Buhari by ensuring that the new retirement age for teachers was fully implemented nationwide.
In a statement jointly signed by ASUSS National President, Comrade Sola Adigun and Secretary General, Comrade Kenneth Okoh, the union praised Buhari’s contribution to the education sector, particularly his approval of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022, which extended the retirement age of teachers to 65 years or 40 years of service.
The union, however, expressed concern that many states have yet to implement the law, more than two years after it was signed, urging urgent action to honour the legacy of the late former president.
“For more than two years, the law has not been implemented, thereby shortchanging teachers and undermining the intent of the federal legislation.
“We believe that one of the ways to truly celebrate the memory of President Muhammadu Buhari is to ensure full and unconditional implementation of this law in every state of the federation,” the statement said.
The union appealed to President Bola Tinubu to take deliberate steps by engaging governors and relevant government agencies to enforce the law across all states, in the spirit of continuity and justice.