Retirement Age: NASU Commences Three-Day Protest

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), on Monday, commenced a three-day nationwide protest, to demand inclusion of non-teaching staff in primary and post-primary schools in the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill (2021) which would soon be transmitted to the National Assembly for enactment into law.

The non-teaching staff had been excluded in planned legislation to extend the retirement age of teachers to 65 years and the years of service to 40 years from the current 35 years as well as a special salary scale and enhanced allowances for the teachers.

In a bid to pressure the Federal Government to include them in the new arrangement, they embarked on protests across the country from Monday. The protest will end on Wednesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari had during Teachers Day in 2020 announced the new incentives for teachers in public basic and secondary schools in the country.

Speaking during the protest at the National Assembly, Abuja on Monday, the NASU FCT Council Chairman, Comd Adebola Bamidele, said since the announcement by President Buhari the non-teaching staff have been pushing for their inclusion in the new condition of service.

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He said: “It appears the Federal Government has forgotten us. We have been making efforts to see that the President also includes the non-teaching staff. But now a Bill is about to be sent to the National Assembly for consideration and that is why we considered that we have to come out and make our demands known to the Federal Government and the National Assembly.

“Already, a letter has been sent by the leadership of NASU to the National Assembly and the Ministers. So, we are only here to hold this rally as sensitisation.”

He explained that non-teaching staff deserve to be included in the new condition of service as they are the engine room in schools.