In recent discussions among civil servants, concerns have surfaced regarding the exemption of university lecturers, represented by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
This exemption has ignited a wave of skepticism and debate among government employees, raising questions about the effectiveness and fairness of the system.
IPPIS, established in 2006 under the Federal Government’s reform initiatives, aimed to revolutionize the management of personnel records and streamline the monthly payroll process. Yet, the prolonged advocacy by ASUU for the exclusion of university lecturers from IPPIS has been met with mixed reactions among civil servants.
The decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on December 13 to remove public tertiary institutions from IPPIS has sparked controversy. The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, confirmed this move, emphasizing that staff from public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education would no longer be under the IPPIS framework.
Grace Uzor, a vocal civil servant, underscored IPPIS’s pivotal role in curbing ghost workers and unauthorized personnel from government payrolls. However, she strongly opposed the departure of university lecturers from the system, advocating for enhanced monitoring and sanitization measures instead.
Emmanuel Isa, an accountant, lauded IPPIS for its effective mechanisms in halting payments to personnel nearing retirement, thereby reducing undue expenses. He also commended its ability to track unutilized funds, highlighting its efficiency in financial monitoring.
Meanwhile, Abbas Aliu, echoing concerns shared by several others, called for a comprehensive evaluation of the IPPIS system. He stressed that if IPPIS was no longer functioning optimally, it might be more prudent to discontinue it entirely rather than selectively applying its regulations.
Okechukwu Unegbu, a seasoned financial expert, expressed disappointment in the persisting issue of ghost workers despite the implementation of IPPIS. Unegbu urged the government to either refine and fortify the system or contemplate scrapping it altogether if it failed to deliver the anticipated outcomes.
The ongoing discourse among civil servants signifies a broader debate on the efficacy and fairness of the IPPIS system, urging the government to address concerns and reassess its approach to personnel management in public institutions.
