NEWS
Court Delivers Major Blow to FG, Voids Eight-Year Retirement Rule for Education Directors
The National Industrial Court has dealt a major setback to the Federal Government by nullifying its policy requiring education directors to retire after serving eight years in office, ruling that teachers and education officers are entitled to remain in service until they attain the age of 65 or complete 40 years of pensionable service.
Justice O. Y. Anuwe delivered the judgment in Abuja on July 10, holding that circulars issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Education were inconsistent with the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022.
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The court ruled that the circulars were invalid to the extent that they sought to enforce the eight-year tenure rule on teachers and education officers serving as directors.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Anuwe declared: “A Teacher or Education Officer, whether he or she got to the post of Director or not, is entitled to retire from service on attaining 65 years of age or 40 years of service.”
He further held that:”Serving as a director for eight years is not a retirement condition for teachers any longer.”
The suit, marked NICN/ABJ/79/2025, was filed by Mrs. Rakiya Gambo Iliyasu, a Grade Level 17 Director in the University Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education.
Iliyasu challenged the February 2026 directives issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Education, arguing that as an Education Officer, she qualified as a teacher under the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022.
She contended that the law guarantees compulsory retirement only upon attaining the age of 65 years or after completing 40 years of pensionable service, making the government’s retirement directives unlawful.
Agreeing with the claimant, Justice Anuwe held that Section 3 of the Teachers’ Retirement Age Act expressly exempts teachers from any Public Service Rule requiring retirement before the age of 65 years or 40 years of pensionable service.
The judge also relied on the Act’s definition of a teacher, which expressly includes Education Officers, holding that the claimant fell squarely within the category of officers protected by the law.
The court further observed that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had, in an earlier 2025 correspondence, acknowledged that education officers covered by the Act were exempt from the eight-year tenure policy, making the government’s subsequent issuance of retirement directives inconsistent with its earlier position.
Consequently, the court declared the February 10, 2026 circular issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the February 24 and February 26, 2026 circulars issued by the Federal Ministry of Education illegal, null and void insofar as they applied to teachers and education officers.
Justice Anuwe also set aside the three circulars and granted a perpetual injunction restraining the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education from implementing the eight-year tenure policy against teachers and education officers in a manner inconsistent with the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act.
The dispute arose after the Federal Government directed that directors who had spent eight years in office should retire in line with Rule 020909 of the Public Service Rules, despite the enactment of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022, which extended the retirement age of teachers in public educational institutions to 65 years or 40 years of pensionable service.
The judgment is expected to have significant implications for director-level education officers across the Federal Ministry of Education and other education-related federal agencies, as it affirms that the provisions of the Teachers’ Retirement Age Act override the eight-year tenure rule in the Public Service Rules for officers protected under the law.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in collaboration with Zeconia Global Investment CO. Ltd, has successfully completed the Training on Digital Oilfield Operation & Data Analytics for 50 participants in Lagos State.
The 5-day intensive capacity-building program, which was held from September 28 to October 2, 2026 in Lagos, came to a successful close with participants equipped with cutting-edge digital skills for the oil and gas industry.
The training was designed to bridge the digital gap in the sector, exposing beneficiaries to practical knowledge on digital oilfield architecture, production optimization, real-time data monitoring, IoT applications, predictive analytics, and data-driven decision making in upstream operations.
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At the closing ceremony, the Managing Director of Zeconia Global Investment Co. Ltd, Olawore Oladipupo, conducted the official handover to participants, applauding their commitment, active participation and eagerness to learn throughout the duration of the training.
He charged them to leverage the knowledge gained to add value to the industry and position themselves for emerging opportunities in the digital energy space.
Participants expressed profound appreciation to NCDMB and Zeconia Global for the life-changing opportunity, describing the training as impactful, practical and timely for the evolving global oil and gas landscape.
The programme once again demonstrates NCDMB’s unwavering commitment to human capital development, local content growth and strategic partnerships aimed at empowering Nigerians with relevant skills for the future of work.
As the Nigerian government intensifies efforts to lure fresh investment into the upstream sector, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has unveiled 40 oil blocks for the 2026 licensing round.
The blocks, located across land, shallow water and deepwater terrains, will be open to investors with the technical competence, financial capacity and commitment to develop Nigeria’s petroleum resources.
The NUPRC Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, announced the licensing round during her closing remarks at the commission’s fifth anniversary celebration in Abuja on Tuesday.
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She disclosed that the exercise has the blessings of both President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over. It is with great joy that I announce that pursuant to the approval of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian 2026 Licensing Round is hereby announced,” Eyesan said.
She said the round would offer 40 blocks across land, shallow water and deepwater terrains to investors with the requisite technical and financial capacity.
Eyesan said the 2026 bid round would introduce enhanced transparency measures, including mandatory disclosure of the beneficial owners of every bidder.
She added that the commission would provide greater disclosure of the evaluation methodology and results, stressing that transparency and predictability were essential to attracting upstream investment.
According to her, competition for upstream capital had become increasingly intense as investors now had multiple jurisdictions from which to choose.
“We will not rest on our oars. Competition for upstream capital is fierce, and it grows fiercer by the day. Investors have choices. They go where the rules are clear, where the process is predictable and where data can be trusted,” she said.
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed deep sadness over the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State that claimed 25 lives.
Atiku disclosed this in a statement posted on X on Tuesday, describing the tragedy as heartbreaking and extending his condolences to the families of the victims and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, crashed in the Inbound area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Monday while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
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The aircraft disappeared from radar after air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 a.m.
Its wreckage was later located near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, where search-and-rescue operations were launched.
The Nigerian Air Force subsequently confirmed that 25 people were on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers, with no survivors.
Reacting to the tragedy, Atiku said the scale and circumstances of the crash were heartbreaking.
“Among those who lost their lives were airmen, soldiers and members of their families,” he said.
He added that the victims included people whose lives were dedicated to service, as well as families and individuals whose lives were cut short in the tragedy.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the deceased,” Atiku said.
He noted that no words could adequately comfort parents who had lost their children, children who had lost their parents, or families suddenly deprived of their loved ones.
Atiku also extended his heartfelt condolences to the Nigerian Air Force and the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as well as the governments and people of Nigeria and Ondo State.
He prayed that Almighty God would grant eternal rest to the souls of the departed, comfort their grieving families and give the Nigerian Air Force and the nation the strength to bear the painful loss.
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