The House of Representatives has directed its committees on public service matters and legislative compliance to investigate the revised section 8 (020819) on the government policy on the compulsory retirement by public servants who have attained eight years as directors in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

This followed a motion sponsored by the House Leader, Hon Julius O. Ihonvbere, Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, and Hon. Ishaya Lalu.
Presenting the motion on behalf of the sponsor, the Minority Leader drew attention to a government Circular dated 27 July 2023, with reference No. HCSF/SPO/268/T3/2/37, titled “THE REVISED PUBLIC SERVICE RULES (PSR)”, issued by the Head of Service.

The circular, he said directed public servants to comply with the Public Service Rules, 2021, Section 8 (020810) (iv) (a), which stipulates compulsory retirement for directors after eight years, whether or not the director has reached the biological retirement age of 60 years or 35 years in service is in direct conflict with the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022.

He expressed concern that the circular will affect teachers, saying, “Teachers are public servants with some as directors in the Federal Ministry of Education, it is therefore counterproductive for Directors to be compulsorily retired upon the expiration of eight (8) years in office as Directors when they have not attained the retirement.”

He argued that there is paucity of experienced, trained, youthful, intellectually sound and globally exposed public servants at grade level 17 as Directors in the different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that drive the civil service for productivity and service.

According to him, Directors attained their positions through years of hard work, excellence, dedication, and management skills development through local and international training using Nigerian resources.

He said these cadres of Directors having built capacity in relevant areas are now facing the threat of compulsory retirement from service upon the expiration of eight (8) years in position as Directors when they have not attained the age of sixty (60) years nor thirty-five (35) years in public service, thereby robbing the nation of their years of experience, creativity, expertise, innovation, ingenuity and transformative ideas, which will negatively impact productivity in the public service and by extension, the economy.

He said the noncompliance with the provisions of the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022, which provides for the retirement age for teachers as 60 years of age or attainments of 35 years in pensionable public service may have dire consequences.