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“All federal civil servants who have served as Directors for eight years must go,”- Official
It has been officially confirmed that the clause of the Public Service Rule (PSR) which made it mandatory for directors who have served for eight years with the federal civil service to retire has taken effect.
A source in the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF) who spoke to Nationwide Reports on Wednesday said government has no plan to revert the policy as it was the best thing that has happened to the public service in recent time.
The source who wanted to remain anonymous for obvious reasons said it was surprising that some stakeholders affected by the mandatory retirement clause are dragging their feet because of selfish interest in spite of the overall benefits of the review carried out in 2020 and approved by federal government in 2021.
According to the source-“Among the benefits of the PSR review include paternity leave and its financial benefits, travel allowances, estacodes and others.
“It is only the eight-year retirement requirement for those who have served as directors that some of the affected officers are picking holes with, because of selfish interest.
“You see, when officers retire, it creates room for those under them to move up. Such movement also creates vacuum necessary for recruitment of young people into the service.
“So government has decided that enough is enough. There is no going back. Every officer that has served as Director for eight years is deemed to have retired. Those who fail to go would be fished out and that would attract forfeiting of salaries collected for the period in breach of the rule.”
Nationwide Reports learnt Wednesday that letters are being sent to directors and permanent secretaries in the federal civil service who have served for eight years, notifying them of their retirement.
We were also informed that over 500 such officers are to receive retirement notice on or before end of work on Friday this week.
Speaking further, our source said the number of affected officers are expected to rise to far more than1,200, adding that the policy affected other departments and agencies like the Nigerian Customs Service (NSC), NSCDC and other paramilitaries.
Nationwide Reports had on July this year reported that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Dr. (Mrs) Folashade Yemi-Esan, in a circular addressed to all permanent secretaries, Accountant-General of the Federation, Auditor-General of the Federation and heads of extra-ministerial departments, ordered strict compliance with the revised Public Service Rules, 2021, which require directors in the civil service, who have spent eight years to proceed on immediate retirement.
The circular said- ““Following the approval of the revised Public Service Rules by the Federal Executive Council on September 27, 2021, and its subsequent unveiling at the public service lecture during the commemoration of the 2023 Civil Service Week, the PSR has become operational with effect from July 27, 2023.
“You are, therefore, to ensure full compliance with all provisions of the Public Service Rules, 2021. Please, ensure strict compliance with the contents of this circular.”
While some directors are still reluctant to vacate their positions in complaiance with the extant rules, our check reveals that hundreds others have accepted their fate and even tendered retirement letters, voluntarily.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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