Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government has issued a definitive directive scrapping the long‑standing practice of granting civil servants an automatic three‑month pre‑retirement leave, declaring that the widely observed tradition has no basis in the Public Service Rules. In a circular titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre‑Retirement Activities,” issued on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), Mrs. Didi Walson‑Jack, instructed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately discontinue the practice of releasing retiring officers from duty three months before their official exit date. The directive, addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of agencies and other senior public sector administrators, clarified that the three‑month period is a notice requirement and administrative preparation window, not a leave entitlement.
The circular stated that Public Service Rule 120243 only requires officers due for retirement to give three months’ notice before their effective retirement date, attend a one‑month pre‑retirement workshop or seminar, and use the remaining two months to regularise service records and complete pension documentation. “The so‑called ‘mandatory three‑month pre‑retirement leave’ has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” Walson‑Jack stated. “A retiring officer must give three months’ notice before the effective date of retirement. This is a notice requirement, not a leave entitlement,” the circular added. She stressed that retiring officers remain active public servants throughout the notice period and are expected to continue performing their official duties unless they are attending approved retirement workshops or have been granted leave under existing regulations.
For decades, many MDAs had wrongly interpreted the retirement notice period as an automatic leave period, resulting in the premature withdrawal of officers from active service. In practice, workers often stopped reporting for duty immediately after submitting their retirement notices, spending the period away from work while awaiting retirement processing. The new directive seeks to end that ambiguity by affirming that the three‑month period is primarily a notice and administrative preparation window rather than a period of automatic absence from duty. Consequently, all MDAs have been instructed to stop compelling retiring officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates. Instead, they are to ensure that retiring officers continue to discharge their responsibilities, participate in approved pre‑retirement programmes, and complete all pension and service record reconciliations before exiting service.
The clarification is expected to affect thousands of federal civil servants approaching retirement annually. The Federal Government said the directive aims to standardise the implementation of the Public Service Rules across government institutions and prevent the loss of valuable manpower arising from the early disengagement of experienced officers. Officials believe the measure will improve service delivery by ensuring that retiring officers continue contributing their expertise until their official exit dates while simultaneously completing documentation required for pension processing. The circular also instructed permanent secretaries, directors‑general, executive secretaries, chairpersons of statutory agencies and chief executives of government organisations to bring the directive to the attention of all staff and ensure strict compliance.
Under Nigeria’s federal civil service retirement framework, governed by the Public Service Rules and the Pension Reform Act, civil servants retire upon attaining 60 years of age or after 35 years in service, whichever comes first. Over the years, delays in pension processing and inconsistencies in personnel records have remained major challenges for retiring public servants, prompting government efforts to encourage early documentation and verification of retirement records. Pre‑retirement seminars were introduced to prepare officers for life after service and to help them navigate the often‑cumbersome pension clearance process. The latest directive reinforces that the three‑month period before retirement is intended for notice and administrative preparation, not extended absence from duty.
Labour and public service stakeholders are expected to study the implications of the clarification, particularly for workers nearing retirement who may have planned their exit based on the assumption of an automatic three‑month terminal leave. While the government insists the objective is to ensure uniform compliance with the Public Service Rules while maintaining efficiency across MDAs, some civil servants have expressed concerns about the abrupt change. However, the HoSF maintained that the directive does not create new obligations but merely corrects a long‑standing misinterpretation. “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.
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