No fewer than 4,000 Kano civil servants benefiting from tenure elongation granted by the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje are expected to retire by December 1, 2024.
The state government has completed an investigation, screening, and data assessment of the affected civil servants who were enjoying the tenure elongation after 35 years of service or reaching 60 years of age.
Ganduje had introduced a civil service tenure extension beyond the standard rule, allowing civil servants to remain in office for an additional five years beyond the statutory retirement age.
Upon assuming office on May 29, 2023, Governor Abba Yusuf abolished the pension law that allowed for tenure elongation and directed that service years revert to the standard 35 years or 60 years of age.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the state Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa, said that following the abrogation of the pension law, a Senior Civil Servants Committee was established to determine the actual number of affected individuals.
“Our committee, after thorough investigation, found that about 4,000 individuals are affected and are expected to retire by December 1, 2024. This means that by the end of this September, they will need to submit their retirement notices,” he said.
Musa added that the government had made preparations to address the vacancies created by the retirement of these senior officers.
“Don’t forget that at the end of former Governor Ganduje’s administration, he employed 13,000 civil servants. When this government came into power, Governor Yusuf chose not to sack them. Instead, we screened the 13,000 civil servants, fully engaging 10,000 on a permanent and pensionable basis, while the remaining 3,000 were dismissed. Among those dismissed were National Youth Service Corps members, undergraduates still in school, those underage (13 years and below), and those overage,” Musa explained.
He further stated that issues of truancy among civil servants had been addressed, with workers now required to resume office at 8:00 a.m.
