Organised Labour – the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Unions Congress, TUC, and their affiliate unions – marked this year’s May Day on the usual May 1, 2025 throughout the country with mixed feelings and the expected litany of demands.

One of them, which we frown at, was the advocacy for the increment of the retirement age from 60 to 65 years, and service years from 35 to 40. NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, read out these demands with his counterpart of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo and other Labour leaders standing solidly around him at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

We understand the sentiments driving this call. As a rule, most workers dread the day they are handed their letters of retrenchment, retirement or disengagement unless they already have something better waiting for them.

In many advanced countries, retirement from service can be something to look forward to. In January 2023, for instance, French Labour unions threatened to go on strike to fight plans by the Emmanuel Marcon government to implement the same policy that Nigeria’s Organised Labour are now demanding for: extension of service years, or delayed retirement.

In advanced economies, it pays workers to retire early, collect their retirement packages and rest from their labours or start a new life of working for themselves. But in Nigeria, retirement can be a death sentence for many, and for several reasons.

The retirement package is nothing to write home about. Those still working don’t want to become pensioners because of the hell they see pensioners go through. Governments, especially at the state and local levels and some elements of the private sector, have very little regard for the welfare of their retired workers. Payment of pensions is one of the least in the priorities of politicians.

But these should not warrant the call for the upward adjustment of retirement age or service years in Nigeria. There are many young school leavers waiting for the opportunity to work in the civil service. In most cases, the only way that vacancies will open for them is the statutory retirement of their parents or grandparents from the service. It is self-serving and unacceptable for old people to sit tight and refuse to make way for the youth.

We suggest that the final five or ten years of service should be partly dedicated to the strategic preparation of workers for retirement. They should be trained in vocations of their choice and given adequate soft landing financially in their new vocations when they retire. This will reduce the fear of the unknown and give the youth a chance to serve.

Service extensions are definitely necessary in areas such as teaching, technical areas of the military and intelligence services, medical professions (especially consultants) and other areas of essential services requiring expertise, knowledge and experience.

Core bureaucrats don’t need service extension.