The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved a 14-day paternity leave to allow male civil servants to properly “bond with their new born or adopted babies.”

The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, stated this this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the council’s weekly meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the First Lady Conference Room, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Yemi-Esan, who was flanked by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, explained that paternity leave was approved for men when their wives were delivered of new babies and for couples who adopt infants of four months and younger.

She explained that such arrangement was crucial to foster father-child bonding.

The paternity leave, according to her, was part of the provisions in the revised Public Service Rules approved by the council.

She said although the rules were meant to be revised every five years, the last time a review was done was in 2008.

She added that while the 2008 version had 16 chapters, the 2021 version had 17 chapters.

On the 14-day paternity leave, Yemi-Esan said, “We’ve also gotten approval to include paternity leave. This is something that is new. And this is something that the unions in the service asked that we include, and we have been able to include it.

“We have also been able to ensure that leave now is calculated based on working days, not on calendar days.

“We also have introduced the transition from paper service to a digital service. So, these are some of the new things that are in the new PSR that has just been approved by the Federal Executive Council.

“Paternity leave is the leave that is approved for men, when their spouses or wives have given birth to a new born baby, or if the husband and wife have just adopted a baby of less than four months, then the man is entitled to paternity leave of about 14 days.”

Asked if the revised Public Service Rules covers the removal of dichotomy between HND and Degree holders, she said, “On the discrepancies between HND, and degree programme, it is in the scheme of service that this will be reflected not in the PSR. It is the scheme of service that describes entry points and things like that.

“And currently we are reviewing the scheme of service, it is just that we did this first, and then we will do the scheme of service. So that is where that will be reflected.”

Credit: PUNCH