According to the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, it has started compiling a list of retired government personnel who have fallen behind on their housing loan payments.
This was revealed in a statement released in Abuja on Thursday by Mrs. Ngozi Obiechina, Head of Information and Public Relations at FGSHLB.
According to Mrs. Salamatu Ahmed, the Board’s Executive Secretary, who was cited by Obiechina, the action was taken to reclaim mortgaged homes from retirees who had not fulfilled their loan commitments.
Ahmed pointed out that Mrs. Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, had just issued a document that prompted the decision.
She claims that the message reminded public employees that obtaining a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness to the FGSHLB and MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society is a statutory requirement that must be fulfilled before they may retire.
According to the executive secretary, in accordance with the conditions of the loan agreements, the board will pursue the required legal actions to reclaim properties when appropriate.
According to her, this complies with the Public Service Rules 021002 (p), which were published by the Office of the Head of the Federation’s Civil Service.
“Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p) requires all public employees to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a requirement for retirement, and I am directed to bring this to your attention.”
“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” she said.
Ahmed explained that the FGSHLB reserves the legal right to repossess any mortgaged property in cases where a public servant exits service without fully repaying the loan.
She reiterated that the directive also applied to already retired officers who were still indebted.
She urged all affected public servants to regularise their loan status and obtain the required clearance certificate without delay.
“The board is currently compiling a list of such retirees, which will be forwarded to relevant regulatory agencies for debt recovery.
“The FGSHLB remains committed to enforcing compliance and ensuring proper loan recovery procedures are followed, ” she added.
About The Author
