Unease as Minister extends tenure of envoys, directors

The failure of about 100 directors including Nigerian ambassadors serving in some countries to retire in accordance with extant civil service regulations is causing unease at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Daily Trust has learnt.
Sources in the ministry revealed that apart from dozens of directors serving at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, there are many envoys who should have retired in the first quarter of 2013, but had their tenures officially extended by three months.
Documents obtained by Daily Trust revealed that all heads of Nigeria’s mission abroad who are retiring this year have been granted three months extension of their tenure. It is not however clear whether the affected officers will be paid from their pension savings or they will be paid as usual.
The officers are bound by extant civil service regulations which make it mandatory for them to retire after attaining 60 years, or clocking 35 years in service, or completing an eight-year tenure as director.
According to one source, many officers are presently upset by the failure of the directors and ambassadors to retire, as at when due, saying that their career progression is threatened.
“Some of this directors and ambassadors have refused to go claiming that there are no capable personnel who can take over from them, and that their retirement will affect the work and activities of the ministry,” one source at the ministry said.
Our correspondent obtained several letters signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Olugbenga A. Asheiru, recalling some envoys that ought to have proceeded on retirement, but approving three months extension for them.  Some of the ambassadors had earlier sent in their letters of intent to retire but the Minister wrote back to them approving a three-month extension to enable them “effectively wind down” their affairs and take leave of their host governments. A top civil servant also disclosed that retiring officers are expected to proceed on retirement leave three months to the date of their retirement. One of the letters obtained by our reporters addressed to Ambassador Ms M. O. Laose, Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent representative to the United Nations dated 11th March 2013, reads in part:
“I write to acknowledge receipt of your letter Ref. No. APH 128/1 dated 15th January 2013 and commend you for your exemplary stewardship of our mission in Vienna, Austria. Your notice of statutory retirement from service has been referred to the appropriate department in the ministry, for necessary action.
“You are no doubt aware that as a career officer you are bound by extant rules and regulations, which make it mandatory for Civil Servants to retire from service on account of age, length of service or tenure, whichever comes first. Having joined the civil service on 3rd March 1978, therefore, you have served meritoriously for 35 years which means you are deemed to have retired from service on 3rd March 2013.
“I therefore wish to advise you to hold yourself in readiness to depart post and return to Headquarters three months from your retirement date. This is to enable you effectively wind down and take leave of your host government and international organisations during the three months extension of stay at the post which is granted to all Heads of missions retiring this year. In your own case, due to exigency of duties in your mission, you are to depart post on 30thJune, 2013.”
Similar letters were written to Nigeria’s ambassador to Sierra Leone, Eyo Asuquo and ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, S. B Bassey, among others.
When contacted, head of public relations department of the Ministry Ode Amedu Ogbole declined comments saying he didn’t know anything about the matter.
But some top officers in the ministry, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that there are close to 100 directors including ambassadors whose tenures have expired, or are also due for retirement somehow.
One officer said the letters sent by the minister is actually the pre-retirement notice. Another source said that the extension granted the ambassadors is not new at the ministry.  “It has always been like that for some time now,” he said, confirming that some directors and ambassadors are actually due for retirement based on age, number of years in service or tenure.
One source said: “It is not clear whether the people affected are being paid for those three months from their pension contribution because they are no longer entitled to salary from government right from the day they are due for retirement. There is no any legal backing from the Nigeria civil service for the extension of tenure.”
The source also confirmed that there are many directors who are due for retirement but are are still at the ministry’s headquarters because of lack senior personnel to take over from them. He said this was the reason the ministry recruited recently.
He said: “There has been no recruitment into the civil service in the last ten years making it difficult for those top management staff to go. The ministry, in terms of personnel, is heavy-slim-heavy. That is, we have heavy personnel at the top who are the directors, while the middle personnel are limited, with many junior officers so much that if the top officers leave, the middle would be empty and there would be huge challenges.”
On the issue of ambassadors whose tenure have expired and are due for retirement, the source said they are appointed by the President who is the only person that can recall or remove them. But because of the complexity of their job, they cannot be removed like that, he said.
He further explained that “cases concerning envoys must be addressed differently because of their peculiarities and situation of the host countries.
If an envoy started a project and almost rounding up, he would be given more time to finish such work. Also vacancy cannot be declared in an embassy because of the complex nature of their job. Some will be given time to bid farewell to the host country, and that will be done based on the host country’s decision.”



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