Retirement Age in Nigeria for Various Institutions and Professions

In this post we will review the retirement age in Nigeria for various institutions and professions. Retirement age in Nigeria is an age at which an individual retire (stop) from his or her employment and receive all the benefits guaranteed under a retirement plan or statutory provision.

A person can retire voluntarily before the statutory age or be retired by law at certain years of service or age. Statutory retirement age differs in different countries.

Retirement Age in Nigeria for Various Institutions and Professions

Retirement age in Nigeria public service

In Nigeria, statutory retirement age differs in different institutions. Below are statutory retirement ages in various institutions and professions:

1. Retirement Age for Professors

The Nigerian Senate, on Wednesday 19, January 2012 approved 70 years as retirement age of university professors as it passed the bill for an Act to harmonise the retirement age of academic staff of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The 70 years retirement age is not exclusive for only university professors. Professors who are lecturers at colleges of education and polytechnics are to retire at seventy years also.

Read More: How To Become a Lecturer in Nigeria

2. Retirement Age for Academic Staff of Higher Institutions in Nigeria

The retirement age of other academic staff below the rank of professor and non-academic staff is 65 years or 35 years of public service.

The Act to harmonise the retirement age of academic staff of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education fixed 65 years as the retirement age.

3. Retirement Age for Secondary and Primary School teachers

The statutory retirement age for teachers in primary and secondary schools is sixty (60) years.

However, there is agitation from Nigerian Union Teachers to raise the retirement age from 60 years to 65 years but there is no bill or programme that suggest that the government will grand their request soon.

5. Retirement Age for Judges in Nigeria 

The retirement age of Supreme Court justices and judges in the lower courts are seventy (70) years irrespective of the number of years worked in the public service.

Prior to the 2015 amendment of the provisions of the Public Service Rules [PSR], which stipulates that 60 years should be the statutory age while 35 years should be for service for other public servants, all judges were mandated by law to retire at the age of 60 years or 35 years of service.

Read More: 10 Tips to Succeed as a Young Lawyer In Nigeria

Retirement age in Nigeria civil service

6. Retirement Age for Judicial Staff in Nigeria

The retirement age of other judicial staff below the rank of judges and justices is 65 years of age or 35 years of service according to the provisions of the Public Service Rules [PSR].

7. Retirement Age for Nigerian Military Officers

The initial retirement age of the Nigerian military officers was fifty two (52) years of age but the recent review of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS) in the Nigerian Armed Forces raise it to 62 years. Investigation revealed that the review will be in force any moment from now.

Read Also: How to Join The Nigerian Army

8. Retirement Age for Medical Consultants in Federal Medical Centres

The retirement age of medical consultants in federal medical centres all over the country is sixty (60) years or thirty five (35) years of public service. This is not for medical consultants alone but for all workers in the medical centres.

9. Retirement Age for Medical Consultants in University Teaching Hospitals

The age of statutory retirement of medical consultants in university teaching hospitals all over the country is seventy (70) years. This is because the raising of university professors’ retirement age to 70 years is applicable to medical consultants in university teaching hospitals.

10. Retirement Age for Pilots in Nigeria

The statutory retirement age of pilots in the Nigerian civil service is currently sixty two (62) years of age.

11. Retirement Age for Aviation workers in Nigeria

Other aviation workers who are not pilots are to statutorily retire at the age of sixty (60) years or thirty five years of public service.

12. Retirement Age NNPC workers

NNPC workers mandatory retirement age is 60 years or 35 years in service in the next one and a half years. This is according to Statutory Corporations Pensionable Officers (retiring age limit) act.

Section one (1), sub-section one of the Act states that “The retiring age limit for all pensionable officers of statutory corporations shall be sixty years.”

13. Retirement age in Nigeria private sector

There is no uniform retirement age in private sector. Some private organization can retain a worker even when he/she is after sixty years as long as he/she is adding the desired value to the organization. While some organization can fire a worker at any time he/she’s value to the organization is unsatisfactory.

However, statutory private organization (private organization that registered with Corporate Affair Commission, CAC or other relevant agencies) adhere to the federal government’s retirement age at sixty years or thirty five years of service.

Private organization mostly don’t pay pension, a retiring worker is paid certain amount of money as appreciation for his/her contribution to the growth/development of the organization. The amount to be paid depends on the years and value added to the organization.

14. Retirement Age in Nigerian Police Force

The Nigerian Police Service Act stipulates that a police officer who has completed thirty five (35) years of service of attain sixty years of age is due for retirement.

The officer is expected to forward his retirement letter to the Police Service Commission (PSC) months before the retirement date.

The Police Service Commission will approve the letter and the officer will taught/lectured on how to live a successful retirement life.

This is organize by Police Service Commission. However, there are situations in which a police officer may exceed his retirement age, this is either as a result of his outstanding performance and the commission still need his service (extend his/her service) or delay in the approval of his retirement letter.

Read Also: How to Join Nigerian Police Force

15. Retirement Age Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps

Going through the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Act, there is no any provision that stipulate the retirement age of the officers of the defence corps.

However, this is not exclusive to civil defence corps alone, most of the paramilitary organizations don’t have a clearly defined retirement age of their officers.

Nevertheless, the provisions of the Nigerian Civil Service Act (laws of the federation of Nigeria) will which recommended thirty five years of service or sixty years of age for compulsory retirement will be invoke when officers of the corps are to be asked to retire.

Read Also: How to Join Nigerian Defence Academy

16. Retirement Age in the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS)

Just like many other paramilitary organization, the Nigerian Prisons Service Act did not state the retirement age of its officers, though there was provisions of the Act that deals with the retirement benefits of officers due for retirement.

However, the provisions of the Nigerian Civil Service Act which stipulate compulsory retirement of a civil/public servant at thirty five years of service or sixty years of age is applicable to Nigerian Prisons Service staff/officers.

17. Retirement Age in Nigerian Fire Service

The compulsory retirement age in the Nigerian Fire Service is forty five years of age or twenty five years of service. Part II, section 2, subsection (a) (i) of the Fire Service Act state that: subject to his having reached the age of forty-five years or being required to retire on medical grounds, an annual allowance calculated at one nine hundred and sixtieth of this annual emolument at the date of retirement for each completed month of service. Section three (3) of the Act stipulated twenty five years of service. Whichever comes first between section 2, subsection (a)(i) and section three will be apply to the fire service staff/officer.

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