By Peter Omopo | October 11, 2025
The Oyo State Government has rejected the proposed extension of the retirement age for teachers and other civil servants from 60 to 65 years, arguing that such a policy would hinder employment opportunities for younger graduates.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Olayiwola, disclosed this during the 2nd Multidisciplinary International Conference of the Postgraduate College, Lead City University, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Olayiwola said the issue had been debated extensively by the State Executive Council, which eventually resolved not to adopt the policy.
“It took us about five executive meetings to discuss this matter, and the memo that came to the house was for teachers only. Then other civil servants asked, ‘What about us?’” he said.
He explained that raising the retirement age to 65 would prevent thousands of young, qualified teachers from getting employment, thereby worsening youth unemployment in the state.
“If we allow it to be raised to 65, those who are due to retire this year will remain for another five years. That means the 15,000 teachers we recently employed in Oyo State would have been deprived of that opportunity because their positions would have been blocked,” Olayiwola added.
The commissioner emphasised that the government’s priority was to create more employment opportunities for the youth rather than retain older workers longer than necessary.
“That is why it is not an agenda for this government to increase the retirement age to 65,” he said.
The debate follows earlier decisions by other states, including Ekiti and Niger, which recently approved similar extensions for teachers. In May, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) urged the Federal Government to extend the new retirement age policy—already approved for health workers—to all civil servants.
While Oyo maintains its stance, education experts at the conference expressed mixed opinions.
The Provost of the Postgraduate College, Prof. Afolakemi Oredein, supported the idea of extending service years for academic mentors, saying it could help bridge gaps in mentorship and reduce brain drain in the education sector.
“When you are mentoring, we need well-experienced people to guide those coming up. Increasing it to 70 years is not a bad idea. Experienced professors can bring up younger ones to become better researchers,” she said.
Another academic and human capital development expert, Prof. Godwin Oyedokun, suggested a flexible retirement policy that considers an individual’s health, capability, and expertise rather than a fixed age limit.
“I attended a retirement ceremony at the University of Ibadan for a senior colleague who was older but very agile. Why should someone with such knowledge retire now? For those still strong and active, they should be retained—but with reduced workload and periodic health checks,” Oyedokun advised.
The Oyo State Government’s decision marks a clear divergence from the growing trend among some Nigerian states to extend the retirement age, as it insists that employment creation for the younger generation remains its top priority.
