We’ve saved N100bn through IPPIS implementation – FG

Direct savings from yearly appropriations of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) has grown to over N100 billion.

Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Usman said this Tuesday in while delivering a keynote address at a retreat.

The retreat was organised for relevant stakeholders on IPPIS by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) with the  theme: The role of MDAs in the implementation of IPPIS and its effect on Workers’ Condition of Service and Government Revenue.

Usman, who was represented by her special adviser, Professor Armstrong Takang, said more than 519 MDAs had been brought under the policy.

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

Through the platform, the federal government had 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.

Usman said until the platform was efficiently implemented to the stage where it was 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.

The minister charged the participants to provide strategic direction for continuous implementation of the policy in their MDAs and ensure effective personnel budgeting during budget preparation.

“Thus, it is expected that there would be a renewed drive to capture all outstanding MDAs on the platform, while ensuring the continuous verification of the personnel records on the IPPIS system.

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

“This is to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of the IPPIS policy,’’ she said.

Usman added that there was the need for a quarterly forensic audit exercise of the platform to dissuade corrupt officials and ensure the continuous sanctity of the system.

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said activities toward the human resources module of the platform had commenced fully with the online records update.

She said other modules include learning management, payroll, business intelligence and self-service, adding that the learning management component was on course and training of 25, 000 civil servants would commence soon.

On his part, Mr Ahmed Idris, the Accountant-General of the Federation revealed that in 2017, the federal government saved N67 billion and N130 billion in 2018 on personnel cost using the platform.

He said that 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.

He said the trial payroll for the military and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will commence this month.

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