The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately discontinue the practice of placing civil servants on compulsory three-month pre-retirement leave, saying the provision does not exist in the Public Service Rules.
The directive was conveyed in a circular issued by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, and addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of government agencies and other senior public officials.
According to the circular, many MDAs had been misinterpreting Public Service Rule (PSR) 120243 by treating the mandatory three-month retirement notice period as a leave entitlement, leading to the premature withdrawal of officers from active service before their official retirement dates.
Walson-Jack clarified that the rule only requires officers approaching retirement to give three months’ notice of their intention to retire, attend a one-month pre-retirement seminar and utilise the remaining period to complete documentation related to their service records and pension benefits.
She stressed that the so-called mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave has no basis in the Public Service Rules.
“The rule requires a retiring officer to give three months’ notice before the effective date of retirement. This is a notice requirement and not a leave entitlement,” she stated.
The Head of Service explained that retiring officers remain in active service throughout the notice period and are expected to continue performing their official duties unless they are attending approved pre-retirement programmes or have been granted leave under existing regulations.
She noted that PSR 120243 does not exempt officers from official responsibilities during the notice period except when they are participating in approved retirement workshops or seminars, or are otherwise authorised to be absent in line with extant leave provisions.
The Federal Government therefore directed all MDAs to ensure strict compliance with the clarification and allow retiring officers to remain at their duty posts until their official retirement dates while completing retirement and pension-related processes.
The government said the directive is aimed at standardising retirement procedures across the federal civil service and preventing the premature disengagement of experienced personnel from government institutions.
Officials believe the clarification will help maintain workforce efficiency while ensuring retiring officers have adequate time to process their retirement benefits without being removed from service ahead of schedule.
