Civil servants who retire without settling loans they obtained from the Federal Government Staff Housing Loan Board or any licensed cooperative society may have their properties seized.
This is according to a memo issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Career Welfare Office, Patience Oyekunle.
The memo, obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, reminded civil servants nearing retirement of the need to comply with the relevant provisions of the Public Service Rules.
The memo states: “I am directed to bring to your attention the provisions of Public Service Rule 021002(p), which requires all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness from the Federal Government Staff Housing Loan Board and any MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, as issued by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. This certificate is mandatory before retirement.”
It further explains that if a civil servant exits the service before fully repaying their housing loan from the FGSHLB, the board has the legal right to seize the mortgaged property.
The memo stated, “All ministries, departments, and agencies are hereby instructed to ensure full compliance with the provisions of PSR 021002(p) (copy attached) when civil servants are leaving the service.”
PSR 021002 requires civil servants to obtain a letter of indebtedness from both cooperatives and the FGSLB to ensure they receive their benefits from PENCOM at the time of retirement.
The PUNCH
