220BN Saved through Federal Government Pay Roll Initiative

The Federal Government on Tuesday said it had
recorded savings of about N220bn since April 2007
when it commenced the implementation of the
Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.

A statement from the Office of the Accountant-General
of the Federation said that the amount was expected to
increase when other agencies of government would
enrol onto the platform.

The IPPIS is one of the Federal Government’s reform
initiatives conceived to transform the Nigerian public
service, improve the management of human resources
and provide a centralised payroll system for the
service.
The project implementation commenced at the Bureau
of Public Service Reforms before its management was
transferred to the Office of the Accountant-General of
the Federation in October 2008.
The project went live in April 2007 with seven pilot
Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and its objective
include centralised payment of salaries; aiding of
manpower planning and budgeting as well as
facilitation of convenient staff remuneration payment
with minimal wastage.
The statement explained that 447 MDAs were already
on the IPPIS platform, while others were expected to be
enrolled before the end of this year.
It read in part, “The IPPIS initiative is aimed at
improving the management of human resources and
providing a centralised payroll system in the service.
“A total of 447 MDAs are already on the IPPIS to date,
including all the core ministries, medical and allied
health institutions and agencies under the Ministry of
Science and Technology, among others. Fifty-six of
them came on board in 2016.
“Savings of over N220bn have been recorded by the
IPPIS from inception to date.”
In a bid to enrol the outstanding MDAs, the office
explained that a verification exercise would be carried
out with a view to identifying and weeding out those
civil servants that had retired, died, or without genuine
documents.
The outstanding MDAs are the Nigeria Police Force and
other para-military agencies like the Nigerian Prisons,
Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps and Federal Fire Services; the military

(Army, Navy and Air Force); and all federal tertiary
institution (universities, polytechnics and colleges of
education); as well as agencies in the petroleum
sector.
…set to break up NIPOST
Everest Amaefule, Abuja
The Federal Government has
said that it will break up the
Nigerian Postal Service to
ensure that the functions of
regulating the postal and
courier industry, and those of
running the postal services are
performed by independent
organisations.
The Minister of
Communications, Mr. Adebayo
Shittu, said this at an
interactive session with the
management of NIPOST in
Abuja on Tuesday.
The minister, who was
represented by the Permanent
Secretary in the ministry, Mr.
Sunny Echono, also said that
the communications sector
road map and e-Government
master plan were ready for
implementation.
Shittu said a bill, which would
carve out a regulatory body out
of the current postal system,
was already before the
National Assembly.
The minister added that a
committee to be headed by
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would drive the
implementation of the communications sector road
map.
Shittu said, “The transformation of the postal service is
something that all staff should embrace career wise,
and it is good for the country, the image and leverage
to the services it will bring.
“It will make you a central and vocal element in the
governance of our country. All issues related to the ICT
services, financial inclusion, logistics, delivery of
goods and services, digital economy and e-governance
are all hinged on this platform.
“With your large offices and postal offices across the
country, you will be one of the prime movers of that.”
The minister expressed confidence that the National
Assembly would quickly pass the Postal Bill into law in
order to enable NIPOST to adequately carry out its
mandate.
He also assured the NIPOST workers that their salaries
would soon be reviewed upwards since they were the
least paid among all the parastatals in the ministry.
In his welcome address, the Acting Postmaster-
General of the Federation, Mr. Richard Balami, said the
NIPOST workers were prepared to key into the policy
thrust of the government to enhance effective postal
services in the country.