THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for an increase in the retirement age for all civil servants.
The NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, made this demand on Thursday, May 1, during the Workers Day commemoration at Eagle Square, Abuja.
While presenting some of the NLC’s demands, Ajaero said, “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.”
In its response to the workers demands during the May Day celebration in 2024. The ICIR reported that the Federal Government approved pension increases ranging from 20 to 28 per cent for pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme, effective from January 1, 2024.
President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing workers’ welfare. In a Workers’ Day message (in 2024), Tinubu congratulated Nigerian workers and assured them of his dedication to improving their welfare and working conditions.
On April 30 that year, the president announced that his administration had approved a salary increase of between 25 per cent and 35 per cent for civil servants on the remaining six Consolidated Salary Structures.
Commemorating the celebration this year, President Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to prioritising workers’ welfare. He described Nigeria’s labour force as “the engine of our economy and the key to our nation’s growth.”
In a brief message on his official X handle on Thursday, May 1, the president said “everyone, young and old, entrepreneur or employee, private or government-employed, whose meaningful contributions help, in no small way, to the development of our homes, communities, and our dear nation.
“Together, we will make Nigeria great again. Our administration has, and will continue to, prioritise workers’ welfare. Together, we will make Nigeria great again,” Tinubu said.
The ICIR reports that state chapters of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) condemned the current plight of Nigerian workers and urged an immediate review of the N70,000 minimum wage, making it a key demand in the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration.
The unions presented their demands following Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s assurance that both the legislative and executive arms of government would not “shirk our responsibility to work together” in addressing workers’ concerns and fostering growth and prosperity.
Labour leaders across the country argued that workers had become worse off under Tinubu’s administration, despite his promise to provide not just a minimum wage, but “a living wage.”
The leaders said Nigerian workers were looking forward to a review of the National Minimum Wage Act, which provides a review every three years, since, according to the labour leaders, the current N70,000 is no longer enough to meet workers’ needs.
The ICIR reported that Tinubu signed a new N70,000 minimum wage bill into law in July 2024. The bill sought to increase the national minimum wage and reduce the period for periodic review from five years to three years.
Governors across the country’s 36 states had opposed the N60,000 minimum wage initially proposed by the Federal Government.
Addressing workers during the May Day celebration in Bayelsa State on Thursday, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Julius Laye, said “You know that the government introduced several taxes, and the hike in tariffs has impacted the workers negatively. The economic policies and the removal of subsidies have led to hyperinflation, so the minimum wage has become inadequate.
“Even the minimum wage is not enough to cover medicare. Incidentally, they have money to fly out to seek better medical attention, but the Nigerian workers do not have the means to do so”
As of February 2025, some government workers were still demanding payment of the new wage.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.