The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to discontinue the practice of placing retiring civil servants on a compulsory three-month leave before their official retirement date.
The directive was issued through a circular signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, who clarified that the Public Service Rules do not provide for any mandatory three-month terminal leave for officers approaching retirement.
According to the circular, some government institutions have incorrectly interpreted the three-month retirement notice period as an automatic leave of absence, resulting in officers leaving their duties before their actual retirement dates.
Walson-Jack explained that Public Service Rule 120243 only requires officers due for retirement to notify the government three months before retirement, attend a pre-retirement seminar, and use the period to complete necessary documentation related to pension and service records.
“The so-called ‘mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave’ has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” she stated.
The Head of Service further noted that the rule contains separate obligations which should not be confused with leave entitlement.
“A retiring officer must give three months’ notice before their effective date of retirement. This is a notice requirement, not a leave entitlement,” the circular read.
She emphasized that officers remain active members of the public service throughout the notice period and are expected to continue carrying out their official responsibilities except when attending approved retirement workshops or when granted leave in line with 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, or are otherwise authorised to be absent under extant leave rules,” Walson-Jack said.
The Federal Government consequently directed all MDAs to stop requiring officers to vacate their offices before their official retirement dates.
Under the new directive, retiring officers are expected to remain at work, participate in approved retirement preparation programmes, and complete pension-related documentation before exiting the service.
The circular also instructed permanent secretaries, directors-general, executive secretaries, agency heads and other senior public officials to ensure that all employees are informed of the directive and that it is fully implemented.
The clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal workers approaching retirement annually.
For many years, several MDAs treated the three-month notice period as a form of terminal leave, allowing officers to stay away from work while awaiting retirement processing.
Government officials believe the new interpretation will help retain experienced personnel until their official exit dates and improve service delivery across public institutions.
The Federal Government said the measure is aimed at ensuring uniform implementation of the Public Service Rules while preventing the loss of manpower caused by the premature withdrawal of retiring officers from active service.
