The new guidelines, issued by the Office of the Head of Service, are intended to replace past rules and address what the government has termed “improper dressing.”

“It is also very important to underscore the vital role expected of senior public servants in revising the said anomaly through leading examples of appropriate dressing culture that demonstrates decorum to guide and correct subordinates.

“And whenever lapses are observed, sanctions may be invoked towards checkmating the ugly trend, based on the Public Service Rule No.04314, which states inter-alia: ‘No Officer shall appear in the office or anywhere in his official capacity attired in a manner deemed inappropriate or immodest.’”

The new dress code outlines specific regulations for both male and female public service officers. For men, bushy beards and certain types of caps are now banned. 

Senior officers are mandated to wear complete suits, while other male staff must wear shirts, trousers, and ties. Traditional attire is only allowed on Fridays and for special events.

For female officers, the new rules are more detailed, prohibiting sleeveless and spaghetti-strap tops, provocative clothing, braided or tinted hair, long artificial eyelashes, and artificial nails. The dress code specifies that skirt suits and corporate gowns must fall below the knee.

“All officers on SGLs 13 and above should appear at work on Trouser Suits, Skirt Suits or Corporate Gowns below the knee level (No hats); and all Trousers Must come in Suits.

“All officers on SGLs 07-12 should appear either as in B(i) above or in free Gowns below the knee level with Sleeves, or Skirts below the knee level and Blouse with sleeves to match (sleeveless or spaghetti hands are prohibited).

“All officers on SGLs 01-06 should appear as in free Gowns with Sleeves, or Skirt and Blouse as described in B(ii) above.”

Heads of departments have been given the authority to enforce these new regulations and are empowered to send home any employee who fails to comply. The government’s directive is a clear effort to instill greater discipline and enhance the public image of the civil service.

The government said the process would be gradual, as it will make sure that vaccines are made available and accessible to all before implementing the policy.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who is also the chairman of COVID-19 Presidential Steering Committee, Mr Boss Mustapha, disclosed this at the sideline of a conference organised by the Forum of Health Commissioners in Nigeria, in Abuja.

Mustapha said: “The vaccine mandate obviously will come. Before now, the simple yellow fever vaccine, you could not travel the world without the card until Nigeria was exited from the list of endemic countries.

“Therefore, the world is gravitating towards that direction. I can tell you that by the time the western world vaccinates its people, you can’t get into any of the Western countries without the vaccine certificate.

“It has started happening in the European Union dispensation now. They have created some waivers for people that have been vaccinated. It is better we begin to prepare people at home.

“One of the reasons we want to do that with federal civil servants is because they will be travelling to perform roles on behalf of the Federal Government.

“The United Nations General Assembly will be starting very soon and we will need our people to go there. Assuming the American government says that you can’t come into the United States unless you are vaccinated, and we have not provided vaccination for our people, how will they go and prepare grounds for the meetings that will be attended by the president and other top government officials?

“It is a sequential thing and we are taking one step at a time. We realised we do not have sufficient vaccine, so we will not be able to impose those kinds of mandates on an automatic basis.”

Source: Nigerian Tribune