FG tightens payroll rules for new workers

By Mariam Abeeb

The Federal Government has tightened its payroll admission process, directing that newly recruited employees must be listed on their ministries’, departments’ and agencies’ (MDAs) nominal rolls and meet all verification requirements before receiving salaries.

The directive was announced on Monday by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa.

The office said the measure formed part of efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency and efficiency in personnel records and federal payroll management through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

According to the statement, no newly recruited employee would be enrolled on the payroll without first being captured on the nominal roll of the relevant MDA and satisfying all prescribed validation and eligibility requirements.

The directive takes immediate effect and applies to all ongoing and future payroll admission processes for newly recruited federal employees.

The OAGF warned that officers responsible for processing and approving payroll admissions would be held accountable for violating the applicable rules and regulations. It added that employees with incomplete documentation or unresolved discrepancies would be excluded from the payroll until all requirements were met.

The office also directed all Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Agencies and other relevant officials to ensure strict compliance with the new procedures.

It said MDAs, as owners of their respective budgets, must take greater responsibility for managing and accounting for their personnel budgets and nominal rolls.

Under the revised process, each agency is required to submit a formal payroll admission request to the OAGF, accompanied by recruitment approvals, appointment letters, applicable waivers and other supporting documents.

The office will verify the submitted documents alongside employees’ records, salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements before processing their admission.

The verification will also cover Pension Fund Administrator details, pension identification numbers, National Housing Fund registration and tax records to ensure accurate deductions and timely remittance of statutory contributions.

The OAGF explained that after its initial verification, employees’ records would be returned to the relevant agencies for confirmation and endorsement by the Accounting Officer, Director of Human Resources, Director of Finance and Accounts, and designated Payroll Validating Officer.

The records would subsequently be returned to the OAGF for final processing.

It stressed that successful completion of the verification process would not automatically guarantee payroll admission, as final approval would depend on the satisfactory fulfilment of all requirements and the approval of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

The new measures are expected to strengthen controls over federal payroll admissions, prevent unauthorised or inadequately documented entries and improve accountability by ensuring that officials involved in approving new employees can be held responsible for their decisions.