FG scraps three months pre-retirement leave

The Federal Government has scrapped the three months pre- retirement leave, that mandates employees to proceed on the leave at the end of their service, in preparation for retirement.

This was contained in a Circular issued by Esther Walson- Jack, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation HOCSF.

The Circular directed all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the federal government to immediately discontinue the practice of placing civil servants on the mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave, stating that such a provision does not exist in the Public Service Rules.

The circular titled “Correct Interpretation of Public Service Rule 120243 on Pre-Retirement Activities,” was addressed to all federal government agencies.and their officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, heads of agencies and other senior public sector administrators.

Under the Civil Service rules, civil servants retire upon attaining 60 years of age or after 35 years in service, whichever comes first.

The federal government however introduced the three months pre- retirement leave to address issues around delays in pension processing and inconsistencies in personnel records, which had created bottlenecks for retired civil servants, in pension administration

The period was to enable them put all their service records in order before their finale exit

Walson- Jack noted however, that the three months pre- retirement leave has over the years been mis- interpreted to mean of period of compulsory leave, which had resulted in the premature withdrawal of officers from active service.

She stressed that ” The so-called ‘mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave’ has no basis in the Public Service Rules,” neither does it amount to stoppage of work.

According to her, ” Public Service Rule only requires officers due for retirement to give three months’ notice before their exit date, attend a one-month pre-retirement workshop or seminar, and use the remaining period to regularise service records and pension documentation.

” Rule 120243 establishes three distinct requirements: a notice obligation, attendance at a pre-retirement seminar during the first month, and completion of retirement-related documentation during the remaining two months.

“A retiring officer must give three months’ notice before their effective date of retirement. This is a notice requirement, not a leave entitlement,”

“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,”
She therefore , directed heads of MDAs to stop compelling retiring officers to vacate their posts before their official retirement dates, a practice, she said is alien to the Nigerian Civil Service rules.

BusinessDay checks show that while the latest circular did not void the need for the pre- retirement notice, it however, seeks to end the ambiguity of stopping the employee from coming to work during the period.

The Circular explained that the three-month period is primarily a notice and administrative window to enable the preparation for the retirement rather than a period of automatic absence from duty.

Thus a breakdown of the official Pre-retirement activities show that a civil servant due for retirement will need to submit an official notification of retirement at least 3 months before the intended retirement date.

Such as civil servant is expected to remain at your duty post during the period, using the first month of the notice period to participate in an approved pre-retirement workshop or seminar

During this period the civil servant is expected to utilize the remaining time in the notice period to regularize and complete service documentations/ records and pension documentation to guarantee a smooth and seamless payout of the entitled retirement benefits.

For Pension documentation to finalize payment of benefits, the civil servant will typically need to prepare and submit A) official notice of retirement from the employer/agency, B) the last pay slip or official evidence of total annual remuneration, C) completed data update forms and biometric captures with the PFA, D) Proof of accrued pension rights (if applicable), to the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) or human resources department during this 3-month period

The Head of Service stressed that retiring officers remain 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.

The new circular is expected to bring relief to civil servants who for decades had been subjected to some forms of difficulties, at the end of their service periods, due to the wrong interpretation of the retirement notice period, often directing officers to stop reporting for duty once they submitted their retirement notices.