The Federal Government has tightened rules governing the deployment and redeployment of civil servants across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), following growing scrutiny of personnel management, ghost workers and purported government agencies.
The directive was issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) in a circular dated August 24, 2026, with reference number HCSF/3065/V.I/275. It requires officers posted to MDAs through recognised professional pools to remain in their approved offices, departments, divisions, units or sections unless their deployment is reviewed and approved by the appropriate authority.
The circular was addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and heads of major federal institutions and agencies.
The OHCSF said it had observed that some MDAs were moving officers assigned through professional pools without obtaining approval from the authorities responsible for their postings.
The practice, according to the office, violates an earlier circular issued on January 2, 2025, which prohibited the internal redeployment of officers belonging to recognised professional pools without the approval of the relevant posting authority.
Under the latest directive, permanent secretaries can continue to deploy officers who are on the local staff establishment of their respective MDAs to areas where their services are required.
However, officers posted by the OHCSF or other recognised professional pools cannot be moved internally without prior approval from the authority responsible for their deployment.
The government made an exception for certain Grade Level 07 to 14 officers posted to fill vacancies within departments. Such officers may be moved to divisions, units or sections where vacancies exist, provided the new deployment remains within their professional pool or cadre.
Where operational circumstances require a change outside those conditions, the matter must be referred to the appropriate posting authority for review and approval. The OHCSF directed all affected authorities to ensure strict compliance.
The recognised professional pools include administrative, executive, procurement, information, accounting, legal, statistical, library and other specialised cadres managed by designated government authorities.
The new measure comes as the Tinubu administration intensifies efforts to strengthen controls within the Federal Civil Service. President Bola Tinubu recently ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), federal agencies and other government systems following findings relating to alleged fake agencies, ghost workers and weaknesses in government controls.
The audit is expected to examine how fictitious or ineligible persons may have gained access to government personnel and payroll systems. It will also review the legal status and official recognition of federal agencies, departments, commissions, councils and other government bodies.
The government has faced heightened scrutiny following investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission into purported government bodies that allegedly operated without proper legal backing.
In August, the ICPC announced findings concerning another purported federal agency and said its investigation was examining how the organisation allegedly gained access to government facilities and interacted with public institutions. President Tinubu subsequently ordered the arrest of its promoter and suspended three permanent secretaries pending further action.
The latest OHCSF directive does not expressly state that it was issued because of the fake-agency investigations. However, it forms part of broader efforts to strengthen personnel controls, ensure that civil servants remain within authorised postings and make movements across the public service more accountable and traceable.
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