Nigeria: male civilian workers can now go on paternity leave

A major change in the rules of the Nigerian civil service comes after years of debate around the issue: it is the paternity leave granted to male civilian workers.

Government in Nigeria has approved a two-week paternity leave for civil servants.

According to Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Nigerian Head of Civil Service, the 14-day paternity leave is to enable fathers and their newborns “bond well together”.

“It’s important because we want the young children and the youth to really bond properly with their fathers, just as they bond well with their mothers”, she added.

Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan says the leave is applicable to men whose spouses have given birth and those who have adopted a baby who is less than four months old.