The Nigerian Government has abolished the long-standing practice of placing civil servants on mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave, directing ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to stop requiring officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates.
The directive was issued by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, through a circular clarifying the correct interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on pre-retirement activities.
According to the circular, the Public Service Rules do not provide for an automatic three-month terminal leave for officers approaching retirement.
Instead, retiring officers are required to give three months’ notice before retirement, attend a one-month pre-retirement seminar and use the remaining period to complete pension and service record documentation.
“The so-called mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” Walson-Jack said in the circular.
She stated that several MDAs had wrongly interpreted the three-month notice requirement as a leave entitlement, leading to the premature withdrawal of experienced officers from active service.
The circular said under the new directive, retiring officers are expected to continue performing their official duties throughout the notice period except when attending approved pre-retirement workshops or when granted leave in line with existing regulations.
The government said the clarification would standardise the implementation of the Public Service Rules across federal institutions, prevent the loss of manpower and ensure that experienced officers remain in service until their official retirement dates.
The move is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants nearing retirement each year and forms part of broader reforms aimed at improving efficiency and service delivery in the public sector.