With effect from November 2023, the salaries of federal civil servants who refuse to validate their information or include it in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) may be withheld.
This action is set to take effect after a one-month grace period extended by the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
On Wednesday, sources well-versed in the situation disclosed that the office of the Accountant General of the Federation had implemented temporary salary suspensions for erring civil servants in August 2023.
‘A grace period was given and the deadline ends by October 27, 2023. Anyone who fails to make use of this opportunity will have themselves to blame as their salaries will be suspended from October end. This means no salaries from this month,’ a highly authoritative source who didn’t want their name in print said.
Providing further verification, a senior civil service official made a letter from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation available to Journalists on this matter.
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The letter, which was addressed to all Permanent Secretaries and dated October 3, 2023, partly reads, ‘It will be recalled that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation commenced verification exercise of all the staff in the core ministries, departments and agencies in May 2017. Prior to the exercise, circulars were issued to sensitise all civil servants to the importance of the activity.’
‘To that end, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System’s verification portal was opened, and all civil servants were requested to update their records on the portal. This was followed by physical verification of the documents submitted by them. The exercise was repeated in subsequent years and concluded in April 2023.’
‘At the end of the exercise, the Accountant General of the Federation was directed to payroll only civil servants whose records had been verified and uploaded on the IPPIS portal. It is regrettable to observe that some civil servants failed to take part in the exercise or neglected to complete it, leading to the suspension of their salaries. All officers whose salaries have been suspended are being given the last opportunity to access the IPPIS verification portal, update their records and present themselves for physical verification.’
‘Specifically, the officers, fall into two categories, as follows: those who did not update their records online; and those who updated their records but were unable to complete the process and/or could not print the slip, indicating the conclusion of the online registration exercise.’
Speaking further on the details for the registration, the letter said, ‘The portal – https://verification.jopis.gov.ng. – will be open for the officers from Tuesday 3rd to Tuesday 10th October, 2023. Thereafter, the physical verification will hold from Monday, 16th to Friday, 27 October 2023 at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria, Kubwa Expressway, Abuia. The exercise will take place between 10 am and 4 pm on each of the days.’
‘All concerned officers are to note that this is the last opportunity for the exercise.’