The Federal Ministry of Health has ordered the immediate disengagement of directors who have spent at least eight years in the directorate cadre, affecting officials in the ministry, federal hospitals, and agencies across the country.
The directive follows the Federal Government’s renewed enforcement of the eight-year tenure limit for senior civil servants, as communicated through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
In a memo signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health, the ministry instructed all heads of agencies and parastatals to ensure that officers who completed eight years as directors by December 31, 2025, are disengaged immediately.
The memo reads, “Further to the Eight (8)-Year Tenure Policy of the Federal Public Service, which mandates the compulsory retirement of Directors after eight years in that rank, as provided in the Revised Public Service Rules 2021(PSR 020909)… all affected officers who have spent eight years as Directors, effective 31st December, 2025, are disengaged from Service immediately.”
Heads of institutions are to ensure affected staff hand over all official documents and government property immediately. The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) unit has been directed to stop their salaries, and officers must refund any emoluments paid after their disengagement date.
The directive references a circular from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Ref. No. HSCF/3065/Vol.I/225, dated February 10, 2026. Monitoring teams from both offices will conduct compliance exercises, and failure to adhere will attract stiff sanctions.
Institutions are also required to forward the nominal roll of all directorate officers on CONMESS 07, CONHESS 15, and CONRAISS 15 to designated official email addresses.
The policy is rooted in the revised Public Service Rules approved by the Federal Executive Council in September 2021 and implemented from July 27, 2023. Section 020909 of the rules stipulates that directors on Grade Level 17 or their equivalent shall compulsorily retire after eight years in that position, while permanent secretaries are limited to four years, renewable only upon satisfactory performance.
