By Sonny Iroche
Introduction
I have always believed that there should be no discrimination on the basis of age. Just as in the United States and many other advanced democracies, ability, competence, and health, not the calendar, should determine whether a person continues to serve their nation or profession. Nigeria, ironically, has consistently entrusted its most strenuous, high-stakes offices to individuals above the civil service retirement age, while keeping its own seasoned professionals out of service at 60 years. This contradiction calls for sober reflection and reform.
Since the beginning of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in 1999, all our presidents have been over 60 years of age. From Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (who claimed 62 at inauguration) to President Muhammadu Buhari (72 at inauguration) and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (71 at inauguration), the highest office in the land has remained in the hands of those beyond the threshold of compulsory civil service retirement. Governors, senators, and local government chairpersons also serve well into their 60s, 70s, and even 80s. Yet, paradoxically, dedicated civil servants, teachers, doctors, and judges, many still at the height of their wisdom and productivity, are compelled to step down once they clock 60.
This begs the question: if age is no barrier to governing a nation of over 200 million people, why should it disqualify a seasoned technocrat from leading a bank, classroom, hospital ward, or judicial bench?
When Age Is Just a Number Elsewhere
Politics in the U.S. and Beyond
The United States provides a clear case study where no retirement age exists for corporate and political leadership. President Joe Biden assumed office at 78, making him the oldest president in U.S. history. Donald Trump entered at over 75. In the USA Congress, age is hardly a barrier, Senator Dianne Feinstein served until 90, while Senator Chuck Grassley, at 92. The U.S. Supreme Court has no fixed retirement age; justices serve for life.
In the United Kingdom, there is no mandatory retirement age for MPs or the House of Lords. Winston Churchill served as Prime Minister into his 80s, while Queen Elizabeth II remained monarch until 96.
The Papacy and Religious Leaders
The Catholic Church is another striking example. Pope Francis served until his passing in April 2025 at age 88. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, elected in May 2025, illustrates that leadership is measured by capacity, not age. Across faiths, longevity and wisdom are prized over arbitrary limits.
Academia and Law
Globally, professors continue to research and teach well into their 70s and 80s. In the U.S., the Supreme Court is filled with examples: Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. served until age 90; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until 87; and Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice, served from 1967 until his retirement in 1991, passing away two years later at age 84. These examples underscore how age enriches judgment rather than diminishes it.
Private Sector
In business, Warren Buffett still leads Berkshire Hathaway at 95. Rupert Murdoch remains influential at 94. My late uncle Michael Okorie, remained the MD/CEO of ITT well into his 90s, in this same Nigeria. Tech and venture leaders like Masayoshi Son and Vinod Khosla continue to innovate into their 70s.
The Nigerian Paradox
Nigeria’s mandatory retirement age of 60 in the civil service is a colonial relic. While originally intended to create space for younger workers, it no longer fits today’s realities.
• A 60-year-old permanent secretary with decades of knowledge must retire.
• Judges must step down at 65 or 70, even though jurists like Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, Udo-Udoma, Oputa, and Kayode Esho, just to name a few, continued to make their best contributions in the Supreme Court of Nigeria late in life.
• Yet a 75-year-old can campaign and govern Nigeria.
The contradiction is clear: retirement rules appear rigid in bureaucracies but flexible in politics.
Why Retirement Should Be Rethought
1. Longer Life Expectancy:
Nigerians today live healthier and longer lives than in the 1960s. Many remain active well into their 70s.
2. Loss of Knowledge: Forcing professionals out leads to abrupt loss of experience in medicine, banking, academia, engineering, and law.
3. Global Competitiveness:
Nations that use both youth and elder wisdom advance faster in innovation and governance.
4. Discrimination: Mandatory retirement may amount to age discrimination. The U.S. Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) already protects older workers; Nigeria must move in this direction.
Toward a Modern Retirement Policy
• Performance-based retirement: Assess competence and health, not just age.
• Optional retirement: Make 60 an option, not a policy.
• Sector-specific rules: Keep age caps for physically demanding roles (e.g., armed forces), but allow flexibility in knowledge sectors.
• Phased retirement: Transition professionals into consultancy or mentorship roles in the system.
• Constitutional review: Align civil service retirement rules with political realities.
In summary, Nigeria stands at a demographic crossroads. With 70% of its population under 30, youth energy is abundant. But we must not sacrifice the wisdom of elders. The best societies integrate both.
If a 75-year-old is capable of governing Nigeria, why should a 61-year-old doctor, professor, or judge be cast aside? Age should never be a barrier to service. It is time to modernize our retirement policies to reflect merit, health, capacity, and dignity, not rigid chronology. Wisdom, like good wine, matures with age.
I end this article with one of my favorite Words on Marble:
“The Task of Nation Building is a Mutual Responsibility between the Young and the Old. The Old Contributing Experience and Maturity. And the Young, Collaborating with Audacity and Diversity”
NB: Sonny Iroche is the CEO of GenAI Learning Concepts Ltd, a pioneer AI consulting company in Nigeria.
He was a Senior Academic Fellow at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford (2022–2023).
He holds a Postgraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence for Business from Saïd Business School, Oxford.
He is a Member of Nigeria’s National AI Strategy Committee and a Member of UNESCO’s Technical Working Group on AI Readiness Assessment Methodology.
