The federal government has taken a firm stance to tackle the issue of civil servants receiving salaries while residing abroad by instructing all employees enlisted on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to revise their personal information.
This instruction, issued by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and endorsed by Dr. (Mrs) Oluwatoyin Madein, necessitates that government workers utilize the newly introduced OAGF-IPPIS Payroll Validation Portal beginning on Monday, July 1, 2024. The updating period will conclude at midnight on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
The communication was disseminated through a federal treasury circular dispatched to the Chief of Staff to the President, all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the Clerk of the National Assembly, the National Security Adviser, and Heads of internal audit, accounts divisions, and diplomatic missions.
Dr. Madein emphasized the importance of this process, indicating that “upon successful submission of the update, employees are required to print three (3) copies of the completed record update summary page for future physical staff verification exercises.”
She further clarified that the motivation behind this initiative was the presence of inaccuracies and incomplete records in the payroll system, hence the need for the update and validation procedure.
The OAGF has developed a user-friendly validation portal for this purpose. Employees are directed to visit the OAGF website at www.oagf.gv.ng to access the portal. To finalize the update, they will be asked to provide their IPPIS Number, Salary Account Number, and a valid Tax Identification Number (TIN), which can be acquired from the Joint Tax Board (JTB) site.
Dr. Madein has warned that failure to comply with this instruction will result in suspension from the payroll. It is emphasized that all employees must update their Payroll Information on the Portal within the specified period without fail. Any employee who does not take advantage of this opportunity will be suspended from the payroll.
In addition, Accounting Officers, Directors/Heads of Finance and Accounts, and Internal Audit Units of MDAs and other government entities have been directed to ensure compliance and widely disseminate the circular.
This instruction follows President Bola Tinubu’s recent order that civil servants receiving salaries while residing abroad must repay the money. The President also mentioned that supervisors and department heads involved in facilitating such fraudulent activities will be subject to disciplinary action.
An anonymous source within the OAGF commented, “this is the first step in the process to clean up the system as directed by Mr. President.”
This strict measure demonstrates the government’s dedication to promoting accountability and integrity within the public service.
