FG Bans Three-Month Pre-Retirement Leave For Civil Servants

FG scraps the mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave for civil servants, ordering workers to remain at their duty posts.

Head of Civil Service Didi Walson-Jack FG directive on pre-retirement leave

The era of treating the final months before retirement as a mandatory holiday is officially over. The Federal Government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to immediately stop the practice of placing civil servants on a three-month pre-retirement leave.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, issued this directive in a fresh circular from Abuja. The message was sent to top officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries, and heads of agencies.

For decades, a widespread belief existed across the civil service. Once workers handed in their retirement notices, they simply stopped coming to work. Many saw it as an automatic three-month break to wrap up their affairs.

But the government says this is entirely wrong. According to Walson-Jack, this so-called mandatory leave has no basis in the Public Service Rules.

The confusion stems from a misinterpretation of Rule 120243. MDAs wrongly assumed the three-month notice period meant time off. Instead, the rule actually outlines administrative steps for a smooth exit.

So, what does the rule really say? Retiring officers must give three months' notice before their exit date. This is strictly a notice requirement, not a leave entitlement.

During the first month of this notice, the officer is expected to attend a pre-retirement workshop. The remaining two months are meant for something very practical. The officer is to use that time to sort out their pension documents and update their service records.

The circular made one thing very clear. Retiring officers are still public servants until their very last day. They are expected to continue performing their official duties.

The only valid reasons to be away from the office during this period are attending the approved workshop or going on officially sanctioned leave. Otherwise, it is business as usual at the desk.

To enforce this, the government has ordered MDAs to stop forcing retiring staff to vacate their posts early. Ministries must ensure these officers keep working, attend their workshops, and finalize their paperwork simultaneously.

This move is expected to affect thousands of federal workers approaching retirement every year. The government believes the old practice caused a massive loss of manpower. Experienced officers were leaving the system too early, creating gaps in service delivery.

By keeping them on the job, the government hopes to maintain productivity while ensuring pension issues are sorted out on time. Delays in pension processing and poor record-keeping have long been major headaches for retiring civil servants.

The circular has been distributed to all permanent secretaries, directors-general, and chief executives. They have been ordered to bring this clarification to all staff and ensure strict compliance.

The message is simple. If you are retiring, you work right up to your final day. The three-month window is for planning your exit, not a ticket to an early vacation.