The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately stop placing civil servants on the widely practised mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave, declaring that the arrangement has no legal backing under the Public Service Rules (PSR).
The directive was issued in a circular signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, and sent to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of agencies and other senior public sector officials.
In the circular titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities,” Walson-Jack said several MDAs had wrongly treated the three-month retirement notice period as an automatic leave of absence, leading to the premature withdrawal of officers from active service.
She clarified that the rule only requires officers approaching retirement to give three months’ notice, attend a one-month pre-retirement workshop or seminar, and use the remaining period to reconcile service records and complete pension documentation.
“The so-called mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” she stated.
According to the Head of Service, Rule 120243 outlines three separate obligations: notification of retirement, participation in a pre-retirement seminar and completion of retirement-related administrative processes.
She stressed that the notice period is not a leave entitlement and does not exempt officers from their official duties.
“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 said.
Walson-Jack further explained that retiring officers remain full public servants throughout the notice period and are expected to continue carrying out their responsibilities unless attending approved pre-retirement programmes or absent under existing leave regulations.
As a result, all MDAs have been instructed to stop compelling officers to vacate their positions before their official retirement dates.
Under the new directive, retiring officers are expected to remain at work, participate in approved pre-retirement activities and complete all pension and service record documentation before leaving service.
The circular also directed permanent secretaries, directors-general, executive secretaries, agency chairpersons and chief executives of government organisations to ensure the directive is communicated to all staff and strictly implemented.
The clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement annually.
For years, many government institutions treated the retirement notice period as a form of extended leave, with officers often stopping work immediately after submitting retirement notices. In many cases, employees spent the period waiting for retirement and pension processing.
The government believes the new interpretation will standardise the application of the Public Service Rules across MDAs, prevent the early loss of experienced personnel and improve service delivery.
Nigeria’s retirement framework for federal civil servants is governed by the Public Service Rules and the Pension Reform Act. Under existing regulations, officers retire after attaining 60 years of age or completing 35 years in service, whichever comes first.
The government introduced pre-retirement seminars to help officers prepare for life after service and navigate pension documentation requirements. However, differing interpretations of the rules over the years created the widespread belief that workers were entitled to an automatic three-month leave before retirement.
The latest directive seeks to end that practice by affirming that the three-month period is primarily for notice and administrative preparation, not an automatic absence from duty.
