Abia State Governor Alex Otti has directed the immediate re-engagement of teachers who were retired at age 60 but have not yet attained the new retirement age of 65.
Otti gave the directive on Monday during activities marking the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Umuahia, following a request presented by the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Madu ChukwuJekwu.
The governor said his administration had already approved the extension of the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65 years, making it necessary for affected teachers who are still below 65 to return to service.
He expressed surprise that some teachers affected by the previous retirement policy had not yet been brought back despite the approval of the new retirement age.
Otti instructed the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education to identify the affected teachers and ensure that they are returned to service without further delay.
The governor said the directive should apply even to teachers who have only a few months remaining before reaching the new retirement age of 65.
He described the decision as part of his administration’s commitment to fairness and transparency in the treatment of teachers across the state.
The re-engagement order is expected to benefit teachers who were prematurely disengaged because they had reached the former retirement threshold of 60 before the new policy took effect.
Otti also directed the payment of all outstanding check-off dues owed to teachers within seven days.
He further ordered that teachers whose salaries had been withheld because of verification issues should receive their outstanding payments before the end of October.
The governor also addressed the salary arrears of 4,075 newly recruited teachers who had not yet received their pay.
He directed the relevant authorities to ensure that the newly recruited teachers are paid before the end of October, bringing the issue of their outstanding salaries into the wider effort to improve teachers’ welfare.
Another issue raised during the celebration was the backlog of promotions for teachers covering the 2021 and 2022 promotion exercises.
Otti directed the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board to work with the State Head of Service to harmonise the promotion process and submit the outcome to him for approval.
He ordered that the exercise should be completed before the end of October.
The governor’s latest directives build on other education-sector reforms introduced by his administration since assuming office.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers had previously commended the Abia Government for approving a 65-year retirement age for teachers, recruiting additional teachers and committing a significant share of the state budget to education.
The union also cited the regular payment of salaries and the settlement of salary arrears owed by the previous administration among the developments it considered positive for teachers.
Otti has said the state consistently commits 20 per cent of its annual budget to education, describing the investment as necessary to improve the quality and outcomes of the sector.
The administration has also been developing smart schools, which the governor said are intended to complement rather than replace conventional schools.
According to Otti, the purpose of the smart-school initiative is to expose children to modern educational opportunities while allowing them to continue benefiting from traditional forms of schooling.
The government’s education strategy therefore combines infrastructure development with teacher recruitment, welfare, training and policy reforms.
At the World Teachers’ Day event, the NUT leadership acknowledged the administration’s efforts while drawing attention to outstanding issues affecting teachers.
The governor responded by addressing several of the concerns directly, particularly those involving retirement, salaries, check-off dues and promotions.
The re-engagement directive could also help address teacher shortages in public schools by returning experienced educators who were still within the newly approved service age.
For the affected teachers, the decision provides an opportunity to resume their careers rather than leaving the education system years before reaching the revised retirement limit.
The payment directives are similarly expected to provide relief to teachers facing delays caused by verification and administrative processes.
Otti’s latest orders place teachers’ welfare at the centre of Abia’s World Teachers’ Day activities while reinforcing the state government’s broader education reform agenda.
With the governor setting October deadlines for several outstanding issues, attention will now turn to how quickly the affected teachers are re-engaged and the various financial obligations are settled.