The Federal Government has 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.
