While French Public Service unions have joined widespread protests over the rising of the retirement age, their counterparts in Nigeria have taken the opposite tack, demanding that it be increased.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero (pictured) said the age of retirement and length of service in the Public Service should be reviewed upward from 60 years to 65 years and 35 years to 40 years of service.
Chief Executive of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf said the demand made sense as most workers could not find any new employment by the time they reached 60.
“Most of them cannot do business. So, even when they try to do business, most of them lose money and a lot of people scam them and give them a lot of funny business ideas and business proposals,” Dr Yusuf said.
“Many of them have lost their entitlements through embarking on the wrong kind of business, because it is not easy when all your life you have been in the Public Service.”
He said the French Government’s reason for increasing the retirement was to reduce the pool of retirees.
“So, I think the way forward here is to make people entrepreneurial, train Nigerians to become entrepreneurs so that they can create more jobs; support them to retire early and give them the necessary funds and training to survive after retirement,” Dr Yusuf said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it would begin payment of a 40 per cent increase in workers’ salaries this month, following approval by the Federal Government.
Minister for the FCTA, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, assured staff of the Government’s commitment to ensuring their welfare.
“We are committed to developing programs and activities that ensure the promotion of staff welfare and motivation,” Mr Bello said.
Abuja, 20 May 2023
