Retirement of Civil Servants, disregard and bended Civil Service Rules in FCTA

By Musa Wada

The Nigeria Federal Civil Service is an institution of Government that was created by an act of the National Assembly to regulate, and deal with the appointment, promotion and discipline of the Federal workforce.

The Federal Civil Service is the main bureaucratic arm of implementing Government policy and priorities so it is expected to be legally and morally guided in the performance of it’s duties.

As an institution that is created by the law of the land and guided by certain rules and regulations that is biding on all the employees of government that is today called the Federal Civil Service, it is expected that it should be morally guided at all times without exemption to meet the expectations of the provision of the laws that created it.

Today in the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, there is a particular instance at this point in time which called to question the strict adherence to the provision of its exact laws and regulations.

It is today seen that some of the provision of the rules and regulations of the civil service as it regard the process leading to the retirement of a directorate cadre are not adhere to.

Today people are wondering who is the Chief Accounting Officer of the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, after retirement of the Permanent Secretary, Mr Adesola Olusade, when the most Senior Director was expected to have proceeded on a three month pre retirement leave but stay put in office which is a total violation of the Civil Service Rules of the federation.

The big question waiting for answer is that, is it morally and legally right for a man who is expected to have been on pre retirement leave to rather stay put in office, giving directives and carrying out all the assignments of a chief accounting officer of a Ministry like the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory administration?

The answer is not blowing in the wind as the Civil Service rules and regulations provides that a civil servant who have less than three months to his retirement date is lawfully mandated to be in pre retirement leave and if he does, it is expected that the immediate Senior Director in the Ministry is expected to serve in that capacity as it’s replacement as the chief accounting officer

Musa Wada is a public Affairs Analyst and writes from Abuja