Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has signed an executive order increasing the retirement age of academic staff in select state-owned tertiary institutions to 65 years. The decision, announced on Friday by Muhammad Sani Bello, Commissioner for Education, applies to Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Zaria, College of Education Gidan Waya, and the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Bello revealed that the order, signed last Thursday, is part of the state government’s efforts to resolve persistent challenges in tertiary education. The retirement age extension follows a meeting between the governor, institutional management, and academic staff union leaders, during which five key demands were discussed.

“Governor Sani promised to resolve the retirement age issue within 48 hours, and he has delivered on that commitment,” Bello stated, adding that the policy will be uniformly implemented across all affected institutions.

Among other issues raised during the meeting were outstanding salaries and welfare benefits for academic staff. Bello acknowledged the state’s financial constraints but assured that payments would be made in installments until all liabilities are settled.

“Given the state’s financial challenges, payments will be staggered in affordable amounts until the backlog is cleared,” he explained.

Funding for tertiary institutions was also a major concern, with academic leaders citing operational difficulties under Kaduna’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) system. In response, the governor has proposed a revenue-sharing model to ease these challenges.

“This model, expected to be finalized by the first quarter of next year, will ensure fairness and provide better financial support for the day-to-day running of these institutions,” Bello added.

Governor Sani’s commitment to addressing these issues signals a significant step toward improving the welfare of academic staff and strengthening tertiary education management in Kaduna State.