The Federal Government has directed ministries, departments and agencies to stop placing civil servants on what is commonly referred to as a mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave, saying the practice has no basis 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, and addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of agencies and other senior officials.
In the circular titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities,” Walson-Jack said some agencies had misinterpreted retirement provisions and were wrongly treating the notice period as automatic leave.
She said the rules require officers approaching retirement to give three months’ notice, attend a one-month pre-retirement seminar and use the remaining period to complete documentation and pension-related processes.
“The so-called ‘mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave’ has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” she said.
Walson-Jack explained that the three-month notice period is not a leave entitlement but an administrative requirement.
“A retiring officer must give three months’ notice before their effective date of retirement,” the circular stated. “This is a notice requirement, not a leave entitlement.”
She said retiring officers remain in public service during the notice period and are expected to continue performing their duties except when attending approved seminars or granted leave under existing regulations.
“PSR 120243 does not exempt retiring officers from official duties during the notice period, except where they are attending an approved pre-retirement workshop or seminar,” the circular added.
The government directed all ministries and agencies to stop compelling officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates.
Under the new directive, agencies are required to ensure that retiring officers continue working while completing pension documentation and participating in approved pre-retirement programs.
The circular also instructed senior government officials to ensure strict compliance across all ministries and departments.
The clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement annually.
For years, many agencies treated the notice period as an informal leave period, allowing officers to stop reporting for duty while awaiting retirement processing.
The Head of the Civil Service said the new directive is aimed at standardizing implementation of the Public Service Rules and improving efficiency in the civil service.
Nigeria’s retirement system requires civil servants to retire at 60 years of age or after 35 years of service, whichever comes first.
The government said the reform is also intended to improve service delivery and ensure continuity of expertise while retiring officers complete administrative processes.
