By JOAN NWAGWU

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on the Federal Government to adopt an equal retirement policies of 65 years or 35 years in service for civil servants across the country.

President of TUC, Mr Festus Osifo, made the call while speaking on the reforms in the civil service during the 2026 May Day celebration in Abuja on Friday.

Osifo said, “The current disparities in retirement policies are discriminatory and counter-productive to national development.

“Existing retirement rules in the civil service are unfair and hinder national progress.

“Unequal retirement policies undermine fairness and weaken the efficiency of the public service.

Osifo said that retaining experienced professionals longer in service would strengthen productivity and ensure continuity in critical sectors of government operations.

He faulted policies that force heads of research institutions and professors to retire at 60 years, describing it as a setback to Nigeria’s knowledge and innovation capacity.

According to him, such early retirement rules are stripping institutions of valuable expertise needed for national growth and development.

The TUC president said that a harmonised retirement structure would improve morale, efficiency and fairness within the public service.

Osifo urged government to engage relevant stakeholders in meaningful dialogue to achieve a balanced and sustainable reform in the civil service system.

He maintained that the union will continue to push for comprehensive wage and allowance reforms alongside the retirement age review. (NAN)

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