[Nigeria] Government to remove tertiary institutions from IPPIS payroll platform

In Nigeria, the federal government has rolled out guidelines for removing federal tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), TV360 reports.

The IPPIS is a centralised payroll system introduced by the government in 2006 to manage public sector employees’ salaries. Administered by the office of the accountant-general, by 2016 the IPPIS platform had increasingly accommodated federal tertiary institutions.

However, it reportedly became the subject of heated protests as many public tertiary institutions alleged unilateral manipulation and fraud.

Administrators across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education argued that the centralised nature of IPPIS eroded the powers of provosts and governing councils because the head of the civil service was often called upon to determine what staffers were employed and when.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) proposed the Unified Treasury Accounting System (UTAS) as an alternative.

Now, Oluwatoyin Madein - the accountant-general of the federation - has issued a circular effectively establishing guidelines for the removal of federal tertiary institutions from the IPPIS payroll platform.

According to Mr Madein, the move was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for institutional autonomy and efficient payroll management.

His circular reportedly highlighted an exit strategy for the tertiary institutions and mandated that affected institutions immediately comply.

Mr Madein said the October payroll for the public institutions will be processed by IPPIS before their exit in November 2024.

He added that the institutions would now process the payrolls themselves while the IPPIS department of accountant-general’s office vets them.

Source: TV360

In Nigeria, the federal government has rolled out guidelines for removing federal tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), TV360 reports.

The IPPIS is a centralised payroll system introduced by the government in 2006 to manage public sector employees’ salaries. Administered by the office of the accountant-general, by 2016 the IPPIS platform had increasingly accommodated federal tertiary institutions.

However, it reportedly became the subject of heated protests as many public tertiary institutions alleged unilateral manipulation and fraud.

Administrators across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education argued that the centralised nature of IPPIS eroded the powers of provosts and governing councils because the head of the civil service was often called upon to determine what staffers were employed and when.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) proposed the Unified Treasury Accounting System (UTAS) as an alternative.

Now, Oluwatoyin Madein - the accountant-general of the federation - has issued a circular effectively establishing guidelines for the removal of federal tertiary institutions from the IPPIS payroll platform.

According to Mr Madein, the move was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for institutional autonomy and efficient payroll management.

His circular reportedly highlighted an exit strategy for the tertiary institutions and mandated that affected institutions immediately comply.

Mr Madein said the October payroll for the public institutions will be processed by IPPIS before their exit in November 2024.

He added that the institutions would now process the payrolls themselves while the IPPIS department of accountant-general’s office vets them.

Source: TV360