Tinubu approves retirement age of 65 for health workers.
Tinubu mourns victims of Niger blast
President Bola Tinubu
• Encourages public, private schools to prioritize children's safety
• Planes en route to France ahead of AU summit in Addis Ababa
President Bola Tinubu yesterday called on all public and private schools to prioritize the safety of children at all times, even as he urged education regulators to ensure adherence to safety standards.
On the same day, the president approved an increase in the retirement age for doctors and other health workers from 60 to 65.
He then left Abuja for Paris, France on a private visit, en route to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital for the African Union (AU) summit.
Tinubu's appeal was contained in his condolence message to the parents, guardians and families of those who died in a fire that engulfed an Islamic school in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, on Tuesday night. The president, while greeting the state government and school owners, prayed for the speedy recovery of those receiving medical attention. He also wished eternal rest to the souls of the deceased and solace to their loved ones.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Mannir Bature, disclosed the new retirement age in a statement yesterday in Lagos.
Bature said the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has been tasked with formally presenting the approval to the Governing Council through the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHOSF) for finalization.
He said Pate conveyed the policy change at a high-level meeting with the NMA President, Prof. Bala Audu and key stakeholders in the health sector. The NMA spokesperson quoted the minister as saying that Tinubu had approved the correction of subsequent adjustments to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) resulting from the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The NMA had advocated increasing the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years to combat brain drain, improve knowledge transfer and ensure quality health care delivery.
In Addis Ababa, Tinubu will join African leaders at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the AU, from February 12 to 16, 2025.
The President is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa early next week for the summit.
The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained in a statement that while in France, Tinubu met with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron.
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