Teachers across Nigeria have renewed their demand for improved welfare, better working conditions, and full implementation of the 65-year retirement age policy as the country joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2025 World Teachers’ Day on Sunday.
At events held nationwide, members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and education stakeholders lamented the poor state of education infrastructure, inadequate remuneration, and slow implementation of reforms, all of which they said continue to erode the quality of teaching in public schools.
Data from the NUT revealed that 16 states—including Abia, Lagos, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Kaduna, and Rivers—are yet to implement the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari on April 8, 2022. The law increased teachers’ retirement age from 60 to 65 years or 40 years of service, whichever comes first, and introduced incentives such as rural posting allowances and bursary awards.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, NUT Chairman Comrade Yusuf Agboola urged the government to implement the new policy and address salary shortfalls and unpaid allowances. He, however, commended the recruitment of over 3,000 teachers and the prompt payment of salaries.
Similarly, in Oyo State, NUT Chairman Comrade Raji Ismail praised Governor Seyi Makinde for consistent salary payments and career advancement of teachers but appealed for greater investment in education and infrastructure.
National NUT President Comrade Audu Amba in a goodwill message called on governments at all levels to “increase budgetary allocation to education and deliberately invest in teachers,” warning that “without deliberate investment in teachers, the future of education is at risk.”
Governors from several states, including Edo, Ogun, Katsina, Gombe, Ekiti, and Kwara, also paid tribute to teachers, pledging renewed commitment to their welfare and professional development.
Meanwhile, private school owners under the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools appealed for a review of heavy taxation, which they said hampers investment in education.
As Nigeria marks this year’s World Teachers’ Day, calls for reforms echo louder than ever — a reminder that the nation’s educational future rests on the welfare and motivation of its teachers.
