Mrs Nana Mede, Director, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), on Friday said that the Ministry of Finance had removed 46, 861 names from the Federal Government’s payroll, through its centralised data.
Mede said at a federal universities sensitisation workshop on incorporation of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) into the IPPIS platform, that about N139 billion was saved through the exercise.
The event, which held at the University of Lagos, Akoka, was attended by the representatives of all federal universities in the South-West zone.
The team will also be visiting all the federal universities in the six geo-political zones.
A similar sensitisation by the IPPIS team from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation had been carried out at the federal universities in the South-South and the South-East zones.
Mede said the removal of the names came against the backdrop of indications of non-application of such names in corresponding data, in the payroll of the government’s IPPIS.
She said that the IPPIS platform was dealing with the actual and not estimates.
“We work with active and physical persons.
“Contrary to some reports, the application of this platform is not meant to take people’s jobs nor go after ghost workers alone.
“Rather, it is designed to ensure that the records of all employees of government are brought under a central data base.
“Before now, government had expressed worries about the high personnel costs of its workforce, as the system in place, as at that time, made it difficult to plan, manage and make effective budgeting.
“Through this medium, wastages are cut down, as well as promote effective planning and decision-making.
“It has also facilitated automation and storage of personnel records, to support monitoring of staff emolument payment against budget,” she said.
Mede said that the World Bank-financed platform, introduced in 2006 with seven MDAs in its pilot, currently had 292 MDAs on its platform.
She said that the platform moved into the university system to assist government in facilitating training and improved welfare packages.
The official also said that the platform would help in keeping accurate records that would facilitate planning for purposes of pension.
“The university system is unique and has its peculiarities. They already have their payment structure the way it suits their operations.
“That is why we are taking out time to sensitise them on the operations of the IPPIS, show them what we have put in place for them, and in turn get their contributions on how to straighten out grey areas.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Rahamon Bello, lauded the IPPIS team for its contribution to sanitising the civil service.
Bello, who was represented on the occasion by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Academics and Research), Prof. Babajide Alo, urged government to be mindful of the payment structure in place, to avoid disruption. (NAN)
