Directors in Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and its affiliated institutions who have exceeded eight years in the role have been ordered to vacate their positions as the federal government moves to enforce public service tenure limits.
The directive, contained in an official memo circulated to departments, agencies, and federal health institutions, requires immediate compliance from all affected officers whose tenure reached the maximum limit by the end of 2025.
The ministry said the action aligns with existing civil service regulations aimed at promoting leadership rotation and maintaining administrative standards across government establishments.
Affected officials have been instructed to hand over their responsibilities and return all government assets in their custody without delay.
In addition, relevant units were directed to suspend further salary payments to those disengaged, with a warning that any excess payments made beyond their approved tenure would be recovered.
Heads of agencies were also asked to submit updated lists of directorate-level staff to support ongoing compliance checks, as monitoring teams are expected to oversee the implementation.
The enforcement follows a broader government directive reaffirming the eight-year tenure policy for senior civil servants, a measure authorities say is necessary to strengthen accountability and open pathways for career advancement within the public service.
