Military Bill To Increase Retirement Age Of Military Officers Passes For Second Reading

By Lawrence Enyoghasu 

The House of Representatives has approved a bill for second reading that would raise the military retirement age to 65 years old, or 40 years of service.

On Thursday, the bill—which is being sponsored by Jonathan Gaza—was discussed and then approved for a second reading.

By raising the retirement age for officers from 60 to 65 years old and increasing their service years from 35 to 40 years old, the bill aims to alter Section 30 of the Principal Act.

The measure also attempts to protect top military officers from having their positions as service chiefs force them to resign.

Furthermore, should the measure become law, officials who are forced to resign upon the appointment of service chiefs will serve as service consultants.

Part of Gaza’s bill reads; “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Principal Act, the age of retirement for members of the Armed Forces shall be 40 years of Service or 65 years of age whichever comes first.
“As from the commencement of this Bill, any Senior Serving Member of the Armed Forces of the Federation that is required to retire compulsorily by reason only that an officer of the same rank or a subordinate rank is appointed by the President of the Federal Republic, as the Chief of Defence Staff, or Chief of Army Staff, or Chief of the Naval Staff or Chief of the Air Staff, shall be engaged by the Chief of Defense Staff as Senior technical consultants for the training of officers of the Armed Forces of the Federation in the Nigerian Defence College, Armed Forces Staff College or any other like institution.”