In a significant policy shift, around 4,000 civil servants in Kano State who had their tenures extended under former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje are expected to retire by December 1, 2024. This follows the current administration’s decision to reverse the previous policy that allowed these workers to remain in service beyond the conventional retirement age.
Under Ganduje’s administration, the affected workers were permitted to continue working for an additional five years after reaching the retirement age of 60 or completing 35 years of service. However, this extension has been revoked by Governor Abba Yusuf, who reinstated the standard retirement rules.
Speaking on the matter, Abdullahi Musa, the Chief of Staff to the Kano State Government, confirmed that the special pension law that allowed for these extensions had been repealed. Following this change, the government established a Senior Civil Servants Committee to identify the exact number of employees impacted by the policy reversal. Musa noted that the investigation and verification of the affected workers have now been completed.
Musa elaborated on the broader context, noting that during the final days of Ganduje’s tenure, 13,000 civil servants were employed. Rather than dismissing these new hires outright, Governor Yusuf’s administration opted to screen all 13,000 employees. As a result, 10,000 workers were retained on a permanent and pensionable basis, while the remaining 3,000 were let go. Among those dismissed were individuals who were still in school, underage employees, and others who were deemed overage.
Musa further explained that the committee’s findings indicated that approximately 4,000 civil servants are due to retire by December 1, 2024, and will need to submit their retirement notices by the end of September. He also assured that the government has made arrangements to address the vacancies that will arise from the retirement of these senior officers, ensuring that the public service continues to function effectively despite the upcoming retirements.
