The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has introduced stricter payroll admission procedures, directing heads of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to take greater responsibility for their staff records and personnel budgets.
The move is part of efforts to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in the Federal Government’s payroll system under the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, the OAGF said it had begun restructuring payroll processes to strengthen the verification of employees and prevent irregularities.
Under the new directive, no newly recruited federal government employee will be added to the payroll without first appearing on the nominal roll of the relevant ministry, department or agency and meeting all required verification conditions.
The office said MDAs must formally submit requests for payroll admission, alongside relevant recruitment approvals, appointment letters, waivers where applicable and other supporting documents.
All employee details, including salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements, will also undergo thorough checks.
The verification process will cover pension details, including Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) information and pension identification numbers, as well as National Housing Fund (NHF) registration and tax records.
The OAGF said the checks were necessary to ensure accurate salary deductions and timely remittance of statutory contributions.
Under the revised process, the OAGF will first conduct an initial review of each employee’s records before forwarding them to the relevant MDA for confirmation.
The records must then be endorsed by the Accounting Officer, Director of Human Resources, Director of Finance and Accounts, and the designated Payroll Validating Officer before being returned to the OAGF for final processing.
Final admission into the Federal Government payroll will depend on the successful completion of all verification stages and approval by the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The office warned that incomplete documents or unresolved discrepancies would delay the admission of affected employees until all requirements had been met.
It also directed permanent secretaries, heads of agencies and other relevant officials to ensure strict compliance with the new rules.
Officials responsible for processing and approving payroll entries will be held accountable for any breach of the regulations.
The OAGF said the directive takes immediate effect and applies to all ongoing and future payroll admission processes for newly recruited federal government employees.
The new measures are expected to strengthen control over government personnel records and reduce errors, irregularities and possible abuses in the federal payroll system.
