A directive with immediate effect
When the Health ministry orders immediate retirement of directors, the instruction leaves little room for delay.
A circular issued within the Federal Ministry of Health directs that all directors who have spent eight years in the directorate cadre be disengaged with immediate effect, in line with the Revised Public Service Rules (PSR 020909).
The order extends to agencies, parastatals and federal hospitals under the ministry’s supervision.
Eight years, no extension
Under the Revised Public Service Rules 2021, directors (Grade Level 17 and equivalents) are required to retire compulsorily after eight years in that rank.
The circular instructs heads of agencies to ensure affected officers hand over official documents and property immediately, while salaries are to be stopped through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
It further mandates refund of emoluments paid beyond the effective date of disengagement.
Monitoring and sanction warning
The ministry warned that officials from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation would conduct compliance monitoring.
Failure to implement the directive, it said, would attract “stiff sanctions.”
The enforcement follows an earlier federal directive instructing ministries, departments and agencies to adhere strictly to the tenure limit framework.
Reform pressure meets institutional inertia
The eight-year rule was approved by the Federal Executive Council and operationalised in July 2023, but implementation has been uneven across institutions.
Tenure enforcement often encounters resistance in bureaucratic structures where directorate roles influence procurement decisions, institutional memory and internal power hierarchies.
Strict application therefore carries both administrative and political implications.
The rule behind the removal
Nigeria’s civil service architecture is designed to prevent entrenchment at senior levels. The eight-year cap aims to encourage succession planning, institutional renewal and performance-based mobility.
Without tenure ceilings, directorate positions risk becoming semi-permanent power nodes within ministries, limiting generational transition.
The enforcement now signals a shift from policy declaration to operational compliance.
If enforcement triggers disruption
If disengagement is implemented uniformly, the ministry may experience short-term leadership gaps pending replacement processes. Conversely, selective enforcement could invite scrutiny over fairness and transparency.
The directive tests not only compliance discipline but also the broader credibility of public service reform.
For affected directors, the rule has moved from regulation to reality.
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