morganable politics/Governance
According to the OHCSF, it had observed persistent violations of deployment procedures across several MDAs, despite earlier directives prohibiting such actions
KaNo—
The Federal Government has imposed fresh restrictions on the movement of civil servants across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), directing that officers posted from recognised professional pools must not be redeployed without proper authorisation.
The directive, issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), is part of a broader effort by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to strengthen personnel management systems and curb irregularities linked to fake government agencies, ghost workers and institutional lapses.
In a circular dated August 24, 2026, with reference number HCSF/3065/V.I/275, the OHCSF warned MDAs against the growing practice of arbitrarily redeploying officers assigned from centralised professional pools without approval from the relevant authorities responsible for their postings.
The circular, which was addressed to top government officials including the Chief of Staff to the President, ministers, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, permanent secretaries, service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and heads of federal agencies, stressed the need for strict compliance with existing civil service rules.
According to the OHCSF, it had observed persistent violations of deployment procedures across several MDAs, despite earlier directives prohibiting such actions.
“The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has observed that some Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies have continued to redeploy officers posted to them from the professional pools of the OHCSF and other recognised pool offices without the approval of the relevant posting authorities,” the circular stated.
Movement Without Approval Violates Provisions
It noted that such practices contravene provisions of an earlier circular issued on January 2, 2025, which expressly prohibited the internal redeployment of pool officers within MDAs without clearance.
Under the new directive, officers deployed from recognised professional pools are required to remain within the offices, departments, divisions, units or sections to which they were originally assigned, except where a formal review and approval is granted by the appropriate authority.
The directive comes at a time when the Federal Government is intensifying scrutiny of its personnel and institutional frameworks following revelations that some fictitious agencies had managed to operate with apparent official recognition.
According to the OHCSF, it had observed persistent violations of deployment procedures across several MDAs, despite earlier directives prohibiting such actions.
Tinubu Orders Forensic Audit Across MDAs
On August 28, President Tinubu approved a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), as well as ministries, departments and agencies of government.
The Presidency said the decision followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council on August 19, based on findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which uncovered irregularities involving fake agencies, ghost workers and systemic control failures.
The audit is expected to probe how ineligible or fictitious individuals were enrolled into government payroll systems, as well as examine identity verification processes, biometric data management and bank account controls linked to public sector salaries.
It will also establish a definitive inventory of all federal government entities, including agencies, commissions, councils and parastatals, to determine their legal status and verify how they obtained official recognition, budgetary allocations, office accommodation and access to government systems.
The circular clarified that while permanent secretaries retain the authority to deploy officers within their respective MDAs, such powers apply only to staff on the local establishment of those institutions.
For officers posted from central professional pools, however, a different set of rules applies.
“Officers posted to Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies by the OHCSF or any other recognised professional pool shall remain in the offices, departments, divisions, units or sections to which they were specifically posted, in accordance with their posting instructions,” the directive stated.
The circular, however, provides limited flexibility for certain categories of officers.
Specifically, officers on Grade Levels 07 to 14 who are deployed to fill vacancies within departments may be reassigned internally to divisions or units where gaps exist, provided such movements remain within their professional cadres or pools.
It also outlined procedures for handling exceptional cases where operational demands may require changes in deployment.
“Where operational exigencies necessitate any review of such postings, the matter shall be referred to the appropriate posting authority for review and necessary approval,” the circular stated.
Directive Urges Compliance
The OHCSF concluded the directive with a firm instruction to all MDAs to ensure full compliance, warning that deviations would not be tolerated.
In addition to the guidelines, the circular provided a comprehensive list of recognised professional pools within the federal civil service and the authorities responsible for managing them.
Under the OHCSF, the professional cadres include Administrative Officers, Executive Officers (General), Store Officers, Stock Verifier Officers, Confidential Secretaries, System and Programme Analysts, Statistical and Data Processing Officers, as well as Library Officers. These are overseen by the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office.
Other professional pools are managed by specific institutions. For instance, State Counsels fall under the Federal Ministry of Justice and are supervised by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the ministry.
Procurement Officers are managed by the Bureau of Public Procurement under its Director-General, while Information, Press and Public Relations Officers are under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
Similarly, Account Officers and Executive Officers (Accounts) are managed by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, while Resident Auditors fall under the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.
The circular also acknowledged the existence of other duly recognised professional pools, each governed by its respective cadre and administrative authority.
Observers note that the detailed classification of professional pools highlights the structured nature of the federal civil service and underscores the importance of adhering to established administrative procedures.
The directive follows recent controversies involving alleged fake government bodies. In July, President Tinubu ordered an investigation into the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council after it was declared fictitious by the Presidency.
The latest measures, analysts say, signal a determined effort by the Federal Government to tighten internal controls, eliminate systemic loopholes and restore integrity to the nation’s public service architecture.
