Disquiet as top officials in FG’s agency snub 8-year tenure limit rule, refuse to retire

Uneasy calm now holds sway in one of the Federal Government’s agencies – National Universities Commission (NUC), as the acting Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, and two other officials are reportedly enmeshed in a controversy of overstaying in service, after putting in more than eight years in the directorate cadre of the agency.

Their continued stay in office is said to be against the nation’s newly revised Public Service Rules, 2021, which came into effect in July 2023, and a subsequent directive of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan.

The two other concerned officials are the agency’s Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of Academics, Noel Saliu, and the Director in charge of the Establishment of Private Universities, Constance Goddy-Nnadi, Premium Times reported on Sunday.

While Mr Maiyaki and Ms Goddy-Nnady were appointed substantive directors on 16 October 2014, Mr Saliu was appointed on 4 November 2013.

On 27 July 2023, the civil service boss, Mrs Yemi-Esan, issued a circular addressed to Permanent Secretaries, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Auditor-General for the Federation, and Heads of Extra Ministerial Departments, notifying them of the implementation of the nation’s revised Public Service Rules, 2021.

The circular, with reference: HCSF/SPSO/268/T3/2/37, is titled: “The Revised Public Service Rules (PSR)”.

Part of the new revised PSR is the tenure policy with reference number 020909, which notes that all government employees who have attained the position of director or its equivalent must retire upon serving for eight years.

“A director or its equivalent by whatever nomenclature it is described in MDAs shall compulsorily retire upon serving eight years on the post,” the PSR reads in part.

The circular from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation that mandated implementation also reads in part: “Following the approval of the revised Public Service Rules (PSR) by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)