Nigeria’s Health Ministry Enforces Eight-Year Retirement Policy for Directors

Nigeria’s Ministry of Health has ordered the immediate retirement of directors who have spent eight years or more in the directorate cadre across its departments, agencies and federal health institutions.

In a memo signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, the ministry instructed affected officers, particularly those who reached the eight-year mark as of December 31, 2025, to hand over their duties and exit the service without delay.

The directive aligns with a government-wide enforcement drive led by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to implement tenure limits under the Revised Public Service Rules 2021.

Salaries of affected officials are to be halted immediately through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, with any excess payments recoverable by government. Agencies must also submit updated directorate nominal rolls for compliance checks.

The tenure policy, approved by the Federal Executive Council and implemented in July 2023, mandates that directors on Grade Level 17 retire after eight years, while permanent secretaries serve a four-year renewable term.

The reform was formally announced in 2023 by then Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, as part of broader civil service restructuring efforts.