FG Saved N67bn and N130bn On Personnel Cost In 2017 And 2018  – AGF-Idris 

BY GLORIA USMAN, ABUJA – The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Ahmed Idris has warned that the non-compliance with the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), will lead to personnel cost of affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) being withheld with a view to guide against further revenue leakages.

Idris also announced that the Federal Government in 2017, saved N67 billion and N130 billion in 2018 on personnel cost using the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

Idris announced these at a Two- Day retreat Organised by the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation with stakeholders on INTEGRATED PERSONNEL AND PAYROLL INFORMATION SYSTEM (IPPIS), with the theme: “The role of MDAs in the implementation of IPPIS and its effect on Workers’ Condition of Service and Government Revenue.’’

According to him, over 700,000 staff were captured on the IPPIS platform, 39 Nigeria Police Commands and three formations, four para-military agencies and retired heads of service and permanent secretaries as against 285 MDAs with over 235,009 staff in 2015.

The implementation of the IPPIS commenced in April 2007 with seven pilot MDAs to centralise payroll and payment systems, facilitate convenient staff remuneration payment with minimal wastage and aid manpower planning and budgeting.

Idris also said the payroll for the military and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will commence in May this year, adding however that in implementing the platform, there were challenges of institutional resistance, lack of commitments from MDAs and conflict of roles and laws among the stakeholders.

He noted that the retreat would help stakeholders understand their roles in ensuring smooth compliance and integration on the platform.

On her part, the minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Usman called for the need for a quarterly forensic audit exercise of the platform to dissuade corrupt officials and ensure the continuous sanctity of the system.

Usman said it is also imperative that the IPPIS platform be fully integrated with all the modules of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

According to her; “This is to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of the IPPIS policy.’”

Represented by her Special Adviser, Prof. Armstrong Takang, the minister noted that direct savings from yearly appropriations of MDAs on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) has grown to over N100 billion, adding that more than 519 MDAs have been brought under the policy.

Usman added that government personnel found to have been involved in the inclusion of ghost records on the platform were being prosecuted, while some are already serving jail terms.

She further said; “Through the platform, the Federal Government recorded successes such as savings and cost reduction, elimination of manual and file based system, as well as reduction and elimination of corruption and sharp practices.

“Others are enabling accurate and reliable information about the size of government’s workforce, while embracing the use of scientific budgeting and estimation.

“Until the platform is efficiently implemented to the stage where it is impossible to insert ghost employees or automatically remove retired personnel and transfer them to pension records, the aim of the policy would not be achieved.”

In her own speech, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said IPPIS is an oracle software that consists of 5 modules with the HR module being the central and other modules include learning management, payroll, business intelligence and self-service. 

Oyo-Ita said activities toward the Human Resources (HR) module of the platform had commenced fully with the online records update, adding that other modules include learning management, payroll, business intelligence and self-service.

She said that the learning management component is on course and the training of 25, 000 civil servants would commence soon.

In her words; “The payroll platform was first introduced as a result of the urgent need to curtail ghost workers’ syndrome. It should however be noted that the personnel information is the basis for pay rolling. It is in view of this that the FCSSIP 2017-2020 placed emphasis on accelerating the roll out of the HR module of IPPIS.”