Eight-Year Rule: Federal Ministry of Health Orders Retirement of Directors, Stops Salaries

The Federal Ministry of Health has directed the immediate retirement of all directors who have spent eight years in the directorate cadre, in line with the Federal Government’s eight-year tenure policy.

The directive affects directors within the ministry, federal hospitals, agencies, and parastatals under its supervision.

According to an internal memo issued by the ministry and sighted in Abuja on Tuesday, the enforcement follows the provisions of the Revised Public Service Rules 2021 (PSR 020909), which mandate compulsory retirement after eight years at the director level.

The circular, signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health, instructed all relevant departments to ensure strict compliance.

The memo stated that officers who had completed eight years as directors as of December 31, 2025, must be disengaged from service with immediate effect.

It further directed that affected officers must hand over all official documents and property immediately. The ministry also ordered the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) Unit to stop their salaries and ensure that any emoluments paid beyond their effective disengagement date are refunded to the Federal Government treasury.

The ministry referenced an earlier circular issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, dated February 10, 2026, which reinforced the enforcement of the eight-year tenure limit across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

Additionally, heads of agencies and parastatals were instructed to submit the nominal roll of all directorate officers, including those on CONMESS 07, CONHESS 15, and CONRAISS 15 salary structures to designated ministry emails for review.

The memo warned that officials from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Ministry of Health would conduct monitoring exercises to ensure full compliance.

The development follows the Federal Government’s renewed push to enforce tenure regulations within the civil service, aimed at strengthening institutional efficiency and ensuring adherence to established public service rules.