The Federal Government has set a new directive for Federal Civil Servants on study leave, requiring them to provide evidence of approval obtained from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. This move comes as part of the government’s efforts to combat the abuse of study leave privileges by civil servants.
In a memo addressed to all permanent secretaries and released in Abuja on Friday, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, highlighted the need for routine verification of workers in the service to ensure their true whereabouts.
Yemi-Esan mentioned that the government has noticed cases of civil servants obtaining admission letters from suspicious foreign universities to secure study leave. In response to this, the Federal Government had previously mandated such workers to sign bonds to prevent misuse of study leave privileges.
The memo stated, “Officers who may be on study leave must show evidence of the approval of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to embark on such leave. This should be indicated in the remark column.”
Furthermore, Yemi-Esan instructed that all ministries carry out a physical verification exercise of their staff to confirm their locations. The report from this exercise, signed by the permanent secretary, is to be submitted to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service by April 2, 2024.
The latest directive aims to uphold accountability and transparency within the civil service, ensuring that study leave is utilized for its intended purpose. Civil servants are urged to comply with the new requirements to avoid any discrepancies or potential sanctions.
