The Federal Government has tightened its control over the movement of civil servants across Ministries, Departments and Agencies as it continues its investigation into fake government agencies and weaknesses within the public service.
The new directive means some government workers can no longer be moved from one office, department or unit to another without approval from the authority responsible for their original posting.
The order was issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation through a circular dated August 24, 2026.
The circular was sent to senior government officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and heads of major government institutions.
The Head of Service office said it discovered that some MDAs had been moving officers belonging to recognised professional pools without obtaining approval from the appropriate authorities.
Under the new arrangement, officers posted to a particular department, division, unit or section are expected to remain there unless their posting is formally reviewed and approved.
The government said the restriction is aimed at restoring proper control over the deployment of personnel and ensuring that civil servants are not moved through unofficial administrative arrangements.
Permanent secretaries can still deploy officers who are part of their own MDA’s local staff establishment where their services are needed.
However, where an officer was posted to an MDA through a recognised professional pool, the receiving organisation cannot simply transfer the person internally without approval from the relevant posting authority.
The directive allows exceptions where there is a genuine operational need, but such cases must be referred to the appropriate authority before the officer’s posting is changed.
The latest action comes against the background of the Federal Government’s wider crackdown on fake agencies, ghost workers and weaknesses in its personnel and payroll systems.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved a comprehensive forensic audit of government agencies, ministries and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System to identify fictitious entities and ineligible persons benefiting from government systems.
The audit is also expected to establish the correct list of federal government agencies and determine whether the bodies operating within the government structure have proper legal backing.
The government wants to know how some purported agencies were able to obtain government offices, official recognition, access to public systems and other privileges without clear legal authority.
The issue became a major concern after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission uncovered purported government bodies operating with questionable status.
One of the investigations centred on the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which the government said was not a legitimate federal agency.
Another investigation involved the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, whose status and activities also came under scrutiny.
The revelations have raised serious questions about how government offices and personnel are managed and how unauthorised organisations can operate within the public service without being detected earlier.
The latest staff-movement directive is therefore part of a broader attempt to close those gaps and make responsibility within the civil service easier to trace.
The government has also warned MDAs to comply strictly with the new rules, meaning officials who move professional pool officers without the required approval could face questions over their actions.
With the wider forensic audit still underway, more changes are expected as the Federal Government continues efforts to identify unauthorised structures, tighten personnel management and prevent abuse of government resources.