BREAKING: Federal Government Bans Three Month Pre-Retirement Leave For Civil Servants

BREAKING: Federal Government Bans Three Month Pre-Retirement Leave For Civil Servants

The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to stop placing civil servants on the widely practiced three-month pre-retirement leave, saying the arrangement is not recognized under the Public Service Rules.

Naijaonpoint Nigeria reports that the directive was issued through a circular signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack.

The circular was sent to ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of government agencies, service chiefs and other senior public officials across the federal public service.

According to the circular, many government institutions have been wrongly treating the three-month retirement notice period as a compulsory leave period, leading to workers leaving their positions before their official retirement dates.

The Head of Service explained that Public Service Rule 120243 only requires officers approaching retirement to give three months’ notice before leaving service.

During this period, they are expected to attend a one-month pre-retirement seminar and use the remaining time to sort out pension matters and update service records.

The government stated that there is no provision in the Public Service Rules that grants retiring officers an automatic three-month leave before retirement.

Instead, officers remain active employees throughout the notice period and are expected to continue carrying out their duties unless they are attending approved retirement programmes or have been granted leave under existing regulations.

The circular explained that the three-month period serves mainly as a notice and preparation window.

It is intended to allow retiring workers to complete necessary documentation and make arrangements for their exit from service while still contributing to their offices.

Following the clarification, all MDAs have been instructed to stop asking officers due for retirement to vacate their positions before their official retirement dates.

Agencies are expected to ensure that workers continue performing their responsibilities, participate in approved retirement workshops and complete pension-related documentation before leaving service.