The federal government has tightened its control over the deployment and redeployment of civil servants, directing ministries, departments, and agencies to stop moving officers from recognized professional pools without approval from the authorities responsible for their postings.
The directive by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation comes as the administration of President Bola Tinubu intensifies its crackdown on fake government agencies, ghost workers, and weaknesses in the Federal Government’s personnel and institutional control systems.
The OHCSF, in a circular dated August 24, 2026, with reference number HCSF/3065/V.I/275, warned that officers posted to MDAs from recognised professional pools must remain in their approved offices, departments, divisions, units or sections unless their deployment is reviewed and approved by the relevant authority.
The circular was addressed to 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 major Federal Government institutions and agencies.
The OHCSF said it had observed that some MDAs were disregarding existing rules by moving officers posted to them from professional pools without securing approval.
“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.
It said the practice was contrary to the provisions of an earlier Circular Ref. No. HCSF/3065/VI/218 dated January 2, 2025, on the prohibition of internal redeployment of pool officers within MDAs.
The latest directive is coming at a particularly sensitive time for the Federal Civil Service, following investigations into how purported government bodies were able to acquire the appearance of official legitimacy and allegedly interact with government institutions.
President Bola Tinubu on August 28 approved a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, federal government agencies, ministries, and their internal controls.
According to the Presidency, the exercise followed the August 19 Federal Executive Council resolution on findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission concerning fake agencies, ghost workers, and other control failures.
The audit will examine how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled on government systems, as well as identity, biometric, and bank account controls.
It will also establish a definitive inventory of federal government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals, and other bodies and verify their legal basis and how they obtained official recognition, budgetary consideration, office facilities, and access to government systems.
The development gives added significance to the OHCSF circular, which seeks to establish a clearer chain of authority over who can deploy, move, and supervise professional officers within the Federal Civil Service.
Under the circular, permanent secretaries may deploy or redeploy only officers on the local staff establishment of their respective MDAs to areas where their services are required for effective and efficient service delivery.
However, officers posted to an MDA by the OHCSF or another recognized professional pool are subject to a different rule.
The circular stated, “Officers posted to Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments, and Agencies by the OHCSF or any other recognized professional pool shall remain in the offices, departments, divisions, units, or sections to which they were specifically posted, in accordance with their posting instructions.”
It added, “Such officers shall not be redeployed internally without the prior approval of the relevant posting authority.”
The OHCSF, however, made a qualification for officers on grade levels 07 to 14 who are posted to fill vacancies in departments.
According to the circular, such officers may be deployed internally to divisions, units, and sections where vacancies exist, provided such deployment remains within the scope of their respective pools or cadres.
The directive also provided a procedure where operational circumstances make a change necessary.
The circular stated, “Where operational exigencies necessitate any review of such postings, the matter shall be referred to the appropriate posting authority for review and necessary approval.”
