OAGF Strengthens Controls On Admission Of Newly Recruited Employees Into Federal Payroll
By Sunday Etuka
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.
In a press release signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, on Monday, the Office said Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as budget owners, are now required to take greater responsibility for managing and accounting for their personnel budgets and nominal rolls.
As part of the changes, it introduced a strengthened validation process for admitting newly recruited employees into the payroll.
From now on, no new employee will be enrolled without first being captured on the nominal roll of the relevant MDA and meeting all prescribed validation and eligibility requirements.
The Office said MDAs must formally submit requests for payroll admission to the OAGF, together with recruitment approvals, appointment letters, applicable waivers and other supporting documents.
These, alongside employee records, salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements, will be thoroughly verified.
The validation will also cover statutory details such as Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) information, pension identification numbers, National Housing Fund (NHF) registration and tax records, to ensure accurate deductions and timely remittances.
After the initial validation by the OAGF, employee records will be sent to the relevant MDA for confirmation and endorsement by the Accounting Officer, the Director of Human Resources, the Director of Finance and Accounts and a designated Payroll Validating Officer. The records will then return to the OAGF for final processing.
The Office said final admission into the payroll will depend on the satisfactory completion of all validation procedures and the approval of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
It directed all Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Agencies and other relevant officers to ensure strict compliance.
Any record with incomplete documentation or unresolved discrepancies will be deferred until all conditions are met, and officers who process and approve payroll admissions will be held accountable for any breach of the rules and regulations.
The directive takes immediate effect and applies to all ongoing and subsequent payroll admission processes for newly recruited Federal Government employees.
