By Divine Sam

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has introduced new measures to strengthen the management of the Federal Government payroll, with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) expected to take greater responsibility for their personnel records and budget management.

The new arrangement is part of an ongoing re-engineering of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), aimed at improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in the payment of government employees.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the OAGF spokesperson, Bawa Mokwa, who explained that MDAs, as budget owners, would now have increased responsibility for managing and accounting for their personnel budgets and nominal rolls.

Under the revised guidelines, the government has introduced stricter verification procedures for newly recruited workers seeking admission into the federal payroll.

The OAGF stated that newly employed workers would no longer be enrolled automatically without first having their details captured on the nominal roll of the relevant MDA and meeting all required validation and eligibility conditions.

It further explained that MDAs must formally apply to the OAGF for the inclusion of newly recruited employees in the payroll, providing relevant recruitment approvals, appointment letters, applicable waivers and other necessary supporting documents.

The submitted documents and employee information will then undergo detailed verification before approval is granted.

According to the Office, the verification process will cover employees’ personal records, salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements to ensure that all payments are properly authorised.

The new measures form part of efforts by the Federal Government to strengthen payroll administration, prevent irregularities and ensure that public funds allocated for personnel costs are properly managed.