The Federal Government has ordered the immediate halt of the long-standing practice of sending civil servants on a compulsory three-month pre-retirement leave, saying the arrangement has no legal backing in the Public Service Rules.
The directive was issued through a circular by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, and circulated to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, agency heads, and other senior officials across the public service.
In the document titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities,” the Head of Service explained that many Ministries, Departments and Agencies had wrongly treated the retirement notice period as an automatic leave period, leading to officers being asked to leave duty before their official exit date.
She clarified that the rules only require an officer approaching retirement to give three months’ notice, attend a mandatory pre-retirement workshop within the first month, and then use the remaining period to complete documentation and pension-related processes.
According to her, there is no provision in the Public Service Rules that grants a “three-month pre-retirement leave.”
“The so-called mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” she stated, stressing that the three-month requirement is strictly a notice period, not a leave entitlement.
Walson-Jack further explained that officers remain in active service during this period and are still expected to perform their official duties, except when attending approved seminars or when formally granted leave under existing civil service regulations.
She added that only participation in authorised pre-retirement workshops or approved absences under extant rules can excuse a retiring officer from duty within the notice period.
With the new clarification, all MDAs have been directed to stop forcing retiring officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates.
Instead, agencies are expected to ensure that affected workers continue their normal duties, take part in approved retirement programmes, and finalise pension and service record verification before exiting service.
The circular also instructed top officials, including permanent secretaries, directors-general, agency heads and chief executives, to circulate and enforce the directive strictly across their organisations.
The policy clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants who retire annually, many of whom had previously been asked to proceed on what was widely regarded as a mandatory three-month leave.
For years, many MDAs had interpreted the retirement notice period as a form of extended leave, allowing officers to stay away from work while awaiting final exit formalities.
The Federal Government said the new directive is aimed at standardising implementation of the Public Service Rules and preventing the loss of experienced manpower caused by early disengagement.
It also argues that keeping officers at work during the notice period will improve service delivery and ensure smoother completion of pension documentation.
Under Nigeria’s civil service structure, retirement is pegged at 60 years of age or 35 years in service, whichever comes first, in line with the Public Service Rules and the Pension Reform Act.
Authorities have consistently faced challenges such as delayed pension processing and incomplete personnel records, prompting efforts to encourage early documentation and verification ahead of retirement.
To address this, pre-retirement seminars were introduced to help workers prepare for life after service and guide them through pension procedures. However, inconsistent interpretations of the rules across MDAs led to the widespread assumption that officers were entitled to a compulsory three-month pre-retirement leave.