Workers’ Day: NLC Pushes For 65-Year Retirement Age Across Civil Service

At the 2025 May Day celebration held at Eagle Square in Abuja, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) called for a general extension of the retirement age for all civil servants nationwide.

Speaking during the event, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, urged the federal government to harmonise the retirement policy across all sectors of public service.

“It is imperative to extend the revised retirement age of 65 years or 40 years of service currently enjoyed by teachers, health professionals, and judges to all public servants,” Ajaero said as he highlighted the union’s key demands.

This is not the first time the NLC is advocating for this reform. In 2023, Ajaero told The PUNCH that the union would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to engage with President Bola Tinubu on the matter.

Currently, government-employed teachers across the country are benefiting from the increased retirement age following a policy signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Meanwhile, the organised Labour in Nigeria has called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the state of emergency declared in Rivers State.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, Comrades Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo, made the demand during the May Day celebration held at Eagle Square, Abuja.

The Labour leaders urged the Federal and state governments to cease actions that erode the civic space and deepen it for the sake of the nation.

They demanded democratic accountability, built on transparent governance, electoral reforms, and an end to the suppression of dissent.

The Congress called on the government to end what it calls the genocidal killings and bloodletting across the country, saying the number one duty of the government is ensuring the safety of lives and property of the citizens.

On the tax bills before the National Assembly, the organised labour has called for their withdrawal to allow Nigerian workers to sit at the table where it is being conceived.

According to the organised labour, the tax bills, crafted without the input of the NLC and the TUC, impose a burden on workers while letting the rich and corporations off the hook.

On the hike in the telecommunication tariff, the labour demanded an immediate reduction from 50 percent to 35 percent.

Furthermore, the organised Labour has demanded an immediate salary adjustment that is commensurate to the current economic realities in the country.

Other demands by the Labour are immediate payment of all outstanding allowances, pensions and gratuities across the nation; restoration of gratuity payments; upward review of retirement age; automatic adjustment of pensions to reflect inflationary trends.