The Federal Government has suspended the payment of salaries of 331 civil servants across all ministries, departments, and agencies over their negligence to update their records on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) despite repeated directives to do so.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, handed down the suspension order in a circular signed on her behalf by the Permanent Secretary (Career Management Officer), Mamman Mahmuda.
The circular dated June 10, 2021, was addressed to all permanent secretaries, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Auditor-General of the Federation.
It was titled, ‘Suspension of salaries of employees of core Ministries, Departments and Agencies that have not been verified on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System’s Human Resource Module Platform.’
The circular read, “You may wish to note that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had issued various circulars requesting employees of MDAs to carry out an online records update on the IPPIS verification portal as a pre-condition for the roll-out of the Human Resource module.
“Consequently, the verification portal was opened from April 20, 2017, to May 23, 2018, to enable employees to carry out the online records update.
“Arising from this, the HR module of IPPS is fully implemented and all the core MDAs are now live on the IPPIS platform.
“However, despite all the circulars issued, some employees in the core-MDAs did not comply with the directives, and therefore could not participate in the physical verification exercise that was carried out between June 2018 and December 2020 because their records were not found on the verification portal.”
Apart from core ministries, other government establishments that have some of their employees affected by the suspension order include those of the Federal Civil Service Commission, and National Sports Commission, Police Service Commission.
Others are the Federal Government Colleges in Kwali, Abuja; Odogbolu; Benin, and Shagamu.
IPPIS was conceptualized in October 2006 by the Federal Government as one of its reform programs to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in the storage of personnel records and administration of monthly payroll in such a way to enhance confidence in staff emolument costs and budgeting.
The trial phase implementation financed by the World Bank commenced in February 2006 at the Bureau of Public Service Reforms upon the approval of the Federal Executive Council.
While the project went live in April 2007 with seven pilots MDAs, its management was transferred to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation in October 2008.
Ada Peter
