The Federal Ministry of Health has directed that all directors who have served at least eight years in their roles must retire immediately.
Naijaonpoint reports that this includes directors across the ministry, federal hospitals, and affiliated agencies.
A memo obtained in Abuja on Tuesday states that the order is effective immediately and follows the federal government’s decision to enforce tenure limits for senior officials.
The policy is part of a wider directive from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, which requires all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to ensure that directors and permanent secretaries do not exceed their maximum tenure.
The memo, signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, Director of the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, instructs heads of agencies and parastatals to ensure that affected directors hand over all official documents and assets without delay.
It also directs that their salaries be stopped and any payments made beyond their official retirement date be refunded to the treasury.
The ministry will monitor compliance, and officials from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service will also conduct checks to ensure that the directive is followed.
Agencies are required to submit a list of all directorate officers to the ministry for verification.
This move follows the introduction of the revised Public Service Rules in 2023, which were approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2021.
The rules set a four-year tenure limit for permanent secretaries, renewable based on performance, and an eight-year limit for directors or officers of equivalent rank.
Officials who fail to comply with the directive risk facing sanctions.