FG Tightens Payroll Checks, Bars Unverified Enrolments
It added that employees whose records contain incomplete documentation or unresolved discrepancies would not be admitted into the payroll until all requirements were met.
A general view of the deserted Nigeria’s Federal Secretariat is seen after the Nigerian unions began an indefinite strike in Abuja, on June 3, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
The Federal Government has introduced stricter conditions for admitting newly recruited employees into its payroll, requiring Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to validate their appointments and personnel records before enrolment.
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) announced the new measures on Monday, saying no newly recruited employee would be admitted into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) without first being captured on the nominal roll of the relevant MDA and meeting all prescribed eligibility requirements.
“Henceforth, no newly recruited employee shall be enrolled without first being captured on the nominal roll of the relevant MDA and satisfying all prescribed validation and eligibility requirements,” a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, partly read.
The directive, which takes immediate effect, is part of efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency and efficiency in the management of federal personnel records and payroll processes.
Under the revised arrangement, MDAs must formally submit requests for payroll admission to the OAGF, accompanied by recruitment approvals, appointment letters, applicable waivers and other supporting documents.
The office said the submitted records would undergo thorough verification, including employees’ salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements.
The OAGF said the re-engineering of payroll processes would also require MDAs, as budget owners, to assume greater responsibility for managing and accounting for their personnel budgets and nominal rolls.
It explained that after its initial validation, employee records would be forwarded to the relevant MDA for confirmation and endorsement by the Accounting Officer, Director of Human Resources, Director of Finance and Accounts, and designated Payroll Validating Officer.
The records would subsequently be returned to the OAGF for final processing.
According to the office, final admission into the Federal Government payroll would depend on the satisfactory completion of all validation procedures and approval by the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The new validation process will also cover statutory employee information, including Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) details, pension identification numbers, National Housing Fund (NHF) registration and tax records.
It added that employees whose records contain incomplete documentation or unresolved discrepancies would not be admitted into the payroll until all requirements were met.
“Any employee record with incomplete documentation or unresolved discrepancies will be deferred from payroll admission until all prescribed conditions are fulfilled. Officers responsible for processing and approving payroll admissions will be held accountable for any breach of the applicable rules and regulations,” the statement added.
“The new directive takes immediate effect and applies to all ongoing and subsequent payroll admission processes for newly recruited Federal Government employees.”
