FG Scraps Three-Month Terminal Leave for Civil Servants

By Emmanuel Kwada

The Federal Government has abolished the longstanding practice of placing civil servants on a mandatory three-month pre-retirement or terminal leave, directing all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure retiring officers remain in active service until their official retirement dates.

The directive was contained in a circular issued by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities.” The circular was addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of agencies and other senior public officials.

According to the Head of Service, the practice of sending officers on a mandatory three-month leave before retirement has no basis in the Public Service Rules and arose from a long-standing misinterpretation of the regulations by several MDAs.

Walson-Jack explained that Rule 120243 only requires officers approaching retirement to give three months’ notice before their retirement date, attend a one-month pre-retirement seminar or workshop, and utilize the remaining period to complete pension and service-related documentation. The rule, she stressed, does not grant automatic leave to retiring officers.

She emphasized that civil servants remain in active employment throughout the notice period and are expected to continue performing their official duties unless they are attending approved pre-retirement programmes or are on authorized leave under existing regulations.

The government said the clarification is intended to standardize the implementation of Public Service Rules across federal institutions and prevent the premature disengagement of experienced personnel, which often results in manpower shortages and reduced efficiency in public service delivery.

For years, many government agencies had interpreted the three-month notice period as a form of terminal leave, allowing workers to stop reporting for duty months before their official retirement dates. The new directive effectively ends that practice and requires strict compliance across all federal establishments.

The policy is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement each year, while also helping government institutions retain experienced officers until their formal exit from service.

Under Nigeria’s Public Service Rules and the Pension Reform framework, civil servants are required to retire upon attaining 60 years of age or after completing 35 years in service, whichever comes first.