• Urges public, private schools to prioritise children’s safety
• Jets out to France ahead of AU summit in Addis Ababa

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, enjoined all public and private schools to prioritise children’s safety at all times, just as he directed regulatory authorities in the education sector to ensure compliance with safety standards.

The same yesterday, the President approved an increase in the retirement age for doctors and other healthcare workers from 60 to 65 years.

He, thereafter, departed 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 parents, guardians and families of those who died in a fire outbreak that stretched into an Islamic school in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, on Tuesday night.

The President, while commiserating with the state government and owners of the school, prayed for the quick recovery of those receiving medical attention. He also sought eternal rest for the souls of the departed and comfort to their loved ones.

THE National Publicity Secretary, 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, had been directed to formally present the approval to the Council on Establishment through the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHOSF) for finalisation.

He said Pate conveyed the policy shift during a high-level meeting with the NMA President, Prof Bala Audu, and key stakeholders in the health sector.

The NMA spokesman quoted the minister as saying that Tinubu approved the correction of consequential adjustments for both the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), arising from the implementation of the new minimum wage.

NMA had championed increasing the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years to address brain drain, improve knowledge transfer, and for quality healthcare 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 the AU Heads of State, from February 12 to 16, 2025.

The President is billed to arrive Addis Ababa early next week for the summit.

Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, explained that while in France, Tinubu would meet with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron.