Federal Ministry Of Health Orders Immediate Retirement Of Directors Who Have Served Eight Years
The Federal Ministry of Health has directed the immediate disengagement of all directors who have spent eight years in the directorate cadre, in line with the revised Public Service Rules. A memo obtained in Abuja on Tuesday shows that the directive affects directors within the ministry, federal hospitals, agencies and parastatals under its supervision. The development follows an earlier directive by the Federal Government mandating Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to strictly implement the eight-year tenure limit for directors and permanent secretaries. The order was reinforced through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. In the memo signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, who oversees the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the ministry, management was reminded that directors who had completed eight years in the rank as of December 31, 2025, must be retired immediately. The directive referenced Section 020909 of the Revised Public Service Rules 2021. The circular instructed heads of agencies and parastatals to ensure affected officers hand over all official property without delay. It also directed that their salaries be halted through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and that any payments made beyond their disengagement date be refunded to the government treasury. The memo further cited a circular issued on February 10, 2026, by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, reaffirming the enforcement of the policy. Institutions were asked to submit a nominal roll of all directorate-level officers — including those on CONMESS 07, CONHESS 15 and CONRAISS 15 — to designated ministry email addresses for monitoring purposes. Officials from both the ministry and the Head of Service’s office are expected to conduct compliance checks. The directive warned that failure to comply would attract strict sanctions. The tenure policy stems from the revised Public Service Rules approved by the Federal Executive Council in September 2021 and officially implemented from July 27, 2023. Under the updated rules, permanent secretaries are limited to a four-year term, renewable only upon satisfactory performance, while directors on Grade Level 17 or equivalent must compulsorily retire after eight years in the position.