Improved accountability, transparency, and efficiency in managing personnel records and the Federal Government payroll have been achieved through the re-engineering of payroll processes initiated by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
According to a statement released on Monday by Bawa Mokwa, the OAGF spokeswoman, the Office said that the new system places more accountability for the management and accounting of personnel budgets and nominal rolls on Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, who are the budget owners.
This led to the implementation of a more stringent validation procedure for new hires applying for jobs with the federal government. From now on, in order for a newly hired employee to be enrolled, they must first complete all validation and eligibility conditions and be recorded on the nominal roll of the relevant MDA.
The Office went on to say that in order for MDAs to officially request payroll admittance from the OAGF, they need to provide all the necessary paperwork, including recruiting approvals, appointment letters, waivers, and any other relevant documentation. Complete verification will be conducted on these papers as well as employee records, pay scales, grade levels, stages, allowances, and other monetary rights.
To make sure that taxes are deducted correctly and sent out on schedule, the validation procedure will also go over statutory details such the National Housing Fund (NHF), registration information, and pension identification numbers as well as the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA).
The Accounting Officer, Director of Human Resources, Director of Finance and Accounts, and designated Payroll Validating Officer will verify and endorse the employee records sent to them by the appropriate MDA after the initial validation by the OAGF. The records will then be returned to the OAGF for final processing.
The Accountant-General of the Federation must approve the final admittance into the Federal Government payroll once all validation procedures have been satisfactorily completed.
The Office has issued a directive to all relevant officers, including permanent secretaries and heads of agencies, directing them to strictly adhere to the new standards. We shall hold off on admitting any employee record to payroll until all requirements are met, including any incomplete documents or unsolved disputes. If any of the officers in charge of processing and authorising payroll admissions break the guidelines, they will face consequences.
All payroll admission processes for newly hired Federal Government employees, both continuing and subsequent, are now subject to the new directive, which takes effect immediately.