By Gloria Attah
The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to discontinue the practice of placing civil servants on a mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave, clarifying that no such provision exists in the Public Service Rules (PSR).
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 government agencies and other senior public officials.
Titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities,” the circular explained that several MDAs had misinterpreted the three-month retirement notice period as an automatic leave entitlement, leading to the premature withdrawal of officers from active service.
Walson-Jack stated that Rule 120243 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 said.
According to the Head of Service, the rule establishes three separate obligations: notification of retirement, participation in a pre-retirement seminar during the first month, and completion of retirement-related administrative processes during the remaining two months.
She stressed that retiring officers remain in active service throughout the notice period and are expected to continue performing their official duties unless they are attending approved retirement programmes or are otherwise absent under existing leave 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,” the circular stated.
Consequently, all MDAs have been directed to stop compelling officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates.
Under the new directive, retiring officers are expected to continue discharging their responsibilities while completing pension processing and service record verification before leaving service.
The circular also instructed permanent secretaries, directors-general, executive secretaries, chairpersons of statutory agencies and chief executives of government organisations to ensure strict compliance across their institutions.
The clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement annually.
For years, many government agencies treated the three-month notice period as an extended leave, often directing officers to stop reporting for duty once retirement notices were submitted. The practice frequently resulted in experienced personnel leaving active service before their official exit dates.
The Head of Service said the directive is intended to standardise the implementation of the Public Service Rules, preserve institutional expertise, and improve service delivery across the public sector.
Under existing regulations, federal civil servants retire upon attaining 60 years of age or after 35 years of service, whichever comes first.
