NLC Advocates 30-day Widowhood Leave For Civil Servants

The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, is advocating for bereaved civil servants to be granted a minimum of 30 working days of widowhood leave with full basic salary.

Speaking at a public hearing in Abuja on six bills seeking to address key issues affecting the public service and the National Assembly Service Commission organised by the House of representatives Committee on Public Service Matters, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero urged lawmakers to pass a legislation guaranteeing equal rights to leave for both widows and widowers.

According to him, the leave could be extended to 60 days in special cases.

Supporting the enactment of a Widowhood Leave Policy, Comrade Ajaero said such a policy would allow affected workers to recover emotionally and reorganize their lives.

“Employers must be barred from using this leave period in performance assessments,” he said.

He also recommended the creation of a separate bereavement leave of two weeks, along with a corresponding allowance for other family-related losses.

The union leader criticised the compulsory retirement of directors after eight years, describing the policy as “anti-worker” and detrimental to career progression and institutional knowledge.

He called for a replacement system based on merit and performance, not tenure.

Mr Ajaero also called attention to the stagnation of promotions in the civil service, demanding mandatory promotions every three years, an independent monitoring body, and a fully digitised process to ensure fairness.

He further urged lawmakers to end the academic discrimination between Higher National Diploma HND, and Bachelor’s degree holders in the public service.

On age falsification, he warned that any new law must not be used to witch-hunt junior staff while top-level offenders go unpunished.

In his remarks Speaker of the House, Dr Abbas Tajudeen, who sponsored one of the bills, explained that the proposal to repeal the National Assembly Service Commission Act of 2014 and replace it with the National Assembly Act, 2025, said the proposed reforms aim to modernise the administrative arm of the National Assembly and improve transparency in public institutions.

He said the bills also seek to address issues related to retirement policies, pension board reforms, and civil service promotion bottlenecks.

“I stand before you not only as Speaker but also as the sponsor of this very important Bill, that is, the proposal to repeal the National Assembly Service Commission Act of 2014 and replace it with the National Assembly Service Act, 2025. This legislative initiative is a proactive response to the developmental needs of the National Assembly.

“This new Bill provides for a more transparent and accountable structure. It introduces clear qualifications for the appointment of clerks, directorate heads, and the secretary to the Commission. These reforms aim to professionalise the administrative arm of the National Assembly, ensuring it is equipped to serve legislators more efficiently and to improve the quality of legislative engagement with citizens.

“Also under consideration today is the proposed amendment to the National Assembly Service Pension Board Act No. 62 of 2023. This amendment seeks to reconstitute the membership of the Pension Board, establish a clear and equitable framework for gratuity payments, and create a dedicated fund for the pension scheme.

“The first motion under consideration seeks to abrogate the policy of compulsory retirement for Directors who have served eight years in that capacity, regardless of age or remaining years of service. While this policy may have been well-intentioned, it has sparked serious concerns. Many view it as a waste of talent and institutional knowledge, prematurely pushing experienced professionals out of service”.

“The second motion addresses the stagnation in promotions within the federal civil service. This issue has become a major source of frustration for many civil servants who, despite years of service and consistent performance, find their career growth stalled. This stagnation undermines morale, stifles innovation, and weakens the overall effectiveness of our public service.

“The third motion calls for the investigation and prosecution of age falsification in the Nigerian civil service. This is a long-standing challenge that erodes the integrity of the system. Age falsification not only distorts succession planning but also creates unfair advantages and extends unmerited tenure, thereby weakening institutional trust, “he added.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji