FG Tightens Noose on Admission of New Employees into Federal Payroll
By Ewache Ajefu
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has commenced the re-engineering of payroll processes under the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to enhance accountability, transparency and efficiency in the management of personnel records and the Federal Government payroll.
The OAGF in a statement said under the new arrangement, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as budget owners, are required to assume greater responsibility for the management and accounting of their personnel budgets and nominal rolls.
Consequently, a strengthened validation process has been introduced for the admission of newly recruited employees into the Federal Government payroll. 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.
The Office further explained that MDAs are required to formally submit requests for payroll admission to the OAGF, accompanied by relevant recruitment approvals, appointment letters, applicable waivers and other supporting documents. These documents, alongside employee records, salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements, will undergo thorough verification.
The validation process will also cover statutory details, including Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) information, pension identification numbers, National Housing Fund (NHF) registration and tax records to ensure accurate deductions and timely remittances.
Following the initial validation by the OAGF, employee records will 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 before being returned to the OAGF for final processing.
Final admission into the Federal Government payroll will be subject to satisfactory completion of all validation procedures and the approval of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The Office has directed all Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Agencies and other relevant officers to ensure strict compliance with the new requirements. 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 new directive takes immediate effect and applies to all ongoing and subsequent payroll admission processes for newly recruited Federal Government employees.
