KEY POINTS

• The Federal Government has ordered MDAs to stop placing civil servants on a mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave.
• Head of Service Didi Walson-Jack says the practice has no basis in the Public Service Rules.
• Retiring officers must stay on duty during the notice period while completing pension and service record documentation.

The Federal Government has directed ministries, departments and agencies to immediately stop placing civil servants on what is commonly described as a mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave, declaring that no such provision exists in the Public Service Rules. The directive was contained in a circular issued by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack.

No basis in Public Service Rules

The circular, addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of agencies and other senior administrators, said several MDAs had wrongly interpreted the retirement notice period as an automatic leave period. That interpretation led to the premature withdrawal of officers from active service, she said. “The so-called ‘mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave’ has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” Walson-Jack said.

She explained that Rule 120243 sets out three distinct requirements: a three-month notice obligation, attendance at a pre-retirement seminar during the first month, and completion of retirement documentation during the remaining two months. The rule, she stressed, is a notice requirement, not a leave entitlement.

Officers to remain on duty

Walson-Jack said retiring officers remain public servants throughout the notice period. They must continue performing their official duties, unless they are attending approved retirement workshops or have been granted leave under existing regulations. All MDAs have been directed to stop compelling retiring officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates.

Under the directive, ministries and agencies must ensure that retiring officers continue to discharge their responsibilities. They should participate in approved pre-retirement programs and complete all pension and service record reconciliations before leaving service. The circular also instructed top officials to bring the directive to the attention of all staff and ensure strict compliance.

The clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement each year. Over many decades, MDAs interpreted the notice period as a form of extended leave, often directing officers to stop reporting for duty once they submitted their retirement notices. Nigeria’s federal civil service retirement framework is governed by the Public Service Rules and the Pension Reform Act. Civil servants retire at 60 years of age or after 35 years in service, whichever comes first. The government says the new measure could improve service delivery by keeping experienced officers at work until their official exit dates while they complete pension documentation.