FG Abolishes ‘Mandatory’ Three-Month Pre-Retirement Leave for Civil Servants

The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately discontinue the practice of placing civil servants on the widely adopted three-month pre-retirement leave, declaring that such a provision does not exist under the Public Service Rules.

The directive was issued in a circular signed 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 public sector officials.

In the circular titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities,” the Head of Service clarified that several MDAs had misinterpreted the retirement notice period as an automatic leave entitlement, resulting in the premature withdrawal of officers from active service.

According to Walson-Jack, Public Service Rule 120243 only requires officers approaching retirement to give three months’ notice ahead of their retirement date, participate in a one-month pre-retirement workshop or seminar, and utilise the remaining period to regularise service records and pension documentation.

“The so-called ‘mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave’ has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” she stated.

The circular explained that the rule establishes three distinct obligations — retirement notice, attendance at a pre-retirement seminar and completion of retirement-related administrative processes.

“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 noted.

The Head of Service stressed that officers nearing retirement remain full public servants throughout the notice period and are expected to continue carrying out their official responsibilities except when attending approved pre-retirement programmes or absent under recognised leave provisions.

“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 added.

Consequently, MDAs have been directed to stop compelling officers to vacate their offices before their official retirement dates.

Under the new directive, retiring officers are to remain on duty, participate in approved retirement preparation programmes and complete all documentation relating to pension processing and service record reconciliation before their exit from service.

The circular also instructed permanent secretaries, directors-general, executive secretaries, chairpersons of statutory agencies and heads of government organisations to ensure the directive is communicated to staff and strictly implemented.

The clarification is expected to impact thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement annually.

For years, many government institutions interpreted the three-month notice period as a form of compulsory leave, often directing officers to stop reporting for duty once retirement notices were submitted. In practice, many workers spent the period away from work while awaiting retirement processing.

The latest directive seeks to standardise the application of the Public Service Rules across federal institutions and prevent the loss of manpower caused by the early disengagement of experienced personnel.

Government officials believe the move could also improve service delivery by ensuring that retiring officers continue contributing their expertise until their official exit dates while simultaneously completing pension-related documentation.

Nigeria’s federal civil service retirement system is governed by the Public Service Rules and the Pension Reform Act, under which civil servants retire at 60 years of age or after 35 years of service, whichever comes first.

Persistent delays in pension processing and inconsistencies in personnel records have long posed challenges for retiring workers, prompting government efforts to encourage early verification and documentation of retirement records.

Pre-retirement seminars were introduced as part of those efforts to prepare officers for life after service and guide them through pension procedures. However, varying interpretations of the relevant rules across MDAs fuelled the widespread assumption that civil servants were entitled to an automatic three-month pre-retirement leave.

The new circular seeks to eliminate that ambiguity, affirming that the three-month period is primarily a notice and administrative preparation window, not an automatic absence from official duties.