Health Ministry Orders Immediate Retirement of Directors

The Federal Ministry of Health has issued a directive mandating the immediate retirement of top directors who have spent eight years in their positions. This order, confirmed by a circular issued in Abuja on Tuesday, follows the federal government's renewed enforcement of an eight-year tenure rule for senior civil servants, including directors and permanent secretaries.

The memo, signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, instructs the ministry to disengage affected officials without delay. The policy, which is part of the revised Public Service Rules (PSR 020909) established in 2021, requires compulsory retirement for directors at grade level 17 who have served for eight years, effective December 31, 2025.

The memo also directs heads of agencies and parastatals to ensure that affected officials hand over government property and documents, with their salaries being stopped and integrated into the payroll personnel information system (IPPI) upon retirement. Failure to comply with this directive will attract strict sanctions, as outlined in the revised public service rules approved by the Federal Executive Council on July 27, 2023.