By Steve Opeyemi I Saturday, August 22, 2026
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has, in recent years, strictly enforced a federal government circular requiring civil service directors who have served eight years in a post to retire—a directive first introduced during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
While several public institutions have successfully circumvented this policy by adopting alternate nomenclature—such as General Manager or Coordinating Director—the NCC was quick to implement the rule, forcing a generation of experienced, capable directors into early retirement.
However, a recently circulated video of a send-off party for a newly retired NCC director highlights a glaring inconsistency in how the commission applies general Public Service Rules.
In the video, the outgoing director disclosed that he had completed 39 years in public service. He managed to exceed the mandatory maximum service length for two reasons: first, he had not served eight years in the specific role of Director at the NCC; second, the commission systematically ignores prior years of service in other public institutions when computing the mandatory maximum service threshold.
In short, the NCC calculates an employee’s 35-year limit using only their time spent within the commission. This approach creates a significant loophole for staff who entered the public workforce after acquiring secondary school certificates, Ordinary National Diplomas (OND), or National Certificates in Education (NCE) prior to or around 1991.
The commission appears to start its service-year countdown strictly from an employee’s NYSC participation, university graduation, or formal entry date into the NCC—ignoring documented prior public service, such as early career teaching or clerical roles.
Given the longstanding requirement that OND or NCE holders complete two years of mandatory work experience before pursuing Higher National Diplomas (HND) or bachelor’s degrees, individuals who earned those early credentials in the 1980s and remain in active service are likely operating in breach of public service statutes.
This systemic oversight poses serious administrative and legal risks for the NCC. Official documents, decisions, and approvals authorized by personnel serving past their mandatory retirement threshold could face legal challenges, rendering past actions vulnerable to court nullification.
Furthermore, public service rules allow the government to recover salaries and allowances paid to officials during periods of illegal tenure, while promotions achieved past the retirement age remain invalid on the principle that “you cannot build something on nothing.”
To prevent widespread litigation and restore regulatory compliance, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Abel Olumuyiwa, must urgently initiate a service-wide audit of employee records.
Ensuring strict, uniform calculation of public service tenure across all agencies is critical to preserving the integrity of federal government administrative actions.
– Opeyemi, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.
