A proposal by Nigeria’s State Governors to pension off Federal Public Servants aged 50 and over has been lambasted by unions, while sources within the Federal Government said it was unlikely to be adopted.
The Governors made the proposal as part of coordinated efforts to instil fiscal discipline and prevent the nation from imminent economic collapse.
They also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to begin the implementation of a long-standing report that recommended the merger and shutdown of some Agencies and Parastatals as a way to address bureaucratic inefficiency and reduce the cost of governance.
National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Tommy Okon said no matter how the Governors arrived at the proposal, they were enemies of the economy.
“When they have failed, they tie it to the workers,” Mr Okon (pictured) said.
“Is it workers that make the economy fail?
“We will reply to them appropriately, as I don’t want to be personal about it.”
General Secretary of the Nigeria labour Congress, Emmanuel Ugboaja said the Governors had displayed a lack of understanding of how a nation works.
“Work is not done by age but by skills, routine and process,” Mr Ugboaja said.
“You don’t just pay off someone at 50, because you don’t know whether that person’s skills can be replaced.”
A source close to Mr Buhari said the Federal Government would never contemplate such a move because the conditions of service for Federal Public Servants were very clear about retirement ages.
The source, suggested the Governors should start by pruning their own bloated bureaucracies.
“The Governors’ plan would compound the problem,” the source said.
“Have they thought of the numbers that are above 50 and computed their retirement packages?” they asked.
“How can a Government, in dire need of funds, undertake such an economic enterprise?”
Abuja, 9 August 2022
