The Nigeria Labour Congress is to meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss raising the retirement age for civil officials to 65 years.
The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, stated on Sunday that the agitation, which began during the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, will not be abandoned.
NLC had during the 2023 May Day celebrations appealed to Buhari to extend the retirement age for civil servants.
However, Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour, stated that Buhari, in the waning days of his presidency, would be unable to deal with the issue.
“The process to effect that change to 65 years (if it is accepted by the Federal Government) is a process that cannot be completed before the end of the tenure of Buhari. So, I guess the new administration will have to deal with that,” Keyamo had said.
Already, teachers under the employment of government at all levels, are enjoying the implementation of a new retirement age.
When asked on Sunday, if the congress would meet with Tinubu on the matter, the NLC President said, “Yes. Only few other establishments, including the core civil service, are now left out.
“We are, therefore, demanding that the age of retirement and length of service in the entire public service, including the civil service, be reviewed upward to 65 years of age and 40 years of service.”
The National Treasurer, NLC, Hakeem Ambali, said, “Yes, we are going to negotiate that, to avert the imminent crisis and suffering of our members whose Contributory Pension Deduction were not remitted to their PFAS by a large percentage of labour employers.
“So that they (workers) are not pushed to premature death and penury, such window of five years is expected to form a transition period of normalising the scheme.”