NON-ACADEMIC Staff Union of Educational and Associated Instituctions, NASU, has expressed serious reservation about  the deliberate misinterpretation of the Retirement Age Act for Polytechnics and Colleges of Education by some state governors who are insisting that the Act is only for Academic Staff.

The union also called on the three tiers of governments to increase their funding of the educational, health and research institutions towards achieving national development, saying improving the level of funding to these sectors will definitely boost the nation’s economy.

NASU in a communiqué at the end of its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Ilorin Kwara State, called on all such Governors to seek clarification from the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation as well as the National Assembly to enable them fully implement the Retirement Age Act in favour of all the non-teaching staff in our Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.

The communiqué by Comrade Ladi Iliya and Prince Peters A. Adeyemi, President and General Secretary, respectively, the union stated, “NEC-in-Session commends the Federal Government for signing into law, the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Act 2012) in May, 2012 and (Harmonization) Act 2012 for Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. It also commends some management, particularly of Federal and States institutions that have implemented the Act.

NEC however expressed serious reservation over the deliberate misinterpretation of the Retirement Age Act for Polytechnics and Colleges of Education by some State Governors who are insisting that the Act is only for Academic Staff.

“NEC-in-Session therefore calls on all such State Governors to seek clarification from the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation as well as the National Assembly so as to enable them fully implement the Retirement Age Act in favour of all the non-teaching staff in our Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.

NEC also calls on the Federal Government to extend the 65 years Retirement Age provision to staff of the Research Institutes in Nigeria.”