* IPPIS implementation saves N361bn
By James Emejo
The federal government Sunday said it has completed the payment of the April 2020 salaries of all the armed forces personnel in the country.
The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) department in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) had admitted that there was delay in the disbursement of April salaries due to the “unexpected lockdown in the country which led to late submission of variations by the agencies concerned and the need to accommodate their inputs in the April payroll accordingly”.
However, a statement issued by the Director, Information, Press and Public Relations, OAGF, Mr. Henshaw Ogubike, confirmed that all payments had been effected as at April 8, 2020.
The statement further noted that the implementation of IPPIS had helped the government to recover the sum of N361 billion which would have been lost to corruption in the payroll administration.
There had been reports which alleged that the April salaries of military and paramilitary personnel had been unduly delayed largely as a result of the incapability and inexperience on the part of the operators of IPPIS.
The statement however described the allegations as misinforming and misleading, adding that the IPPIS office had earlier given assurance that the salaries would be paid between April 4 and 8.
The statement added: “Suffice it to state that staff of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) are competent professionals who have demonstrated the will and capacity to get the job done in line with the presidential directives, despite distractions and opposition from some quarters whose objective is to sabotage the government policy that has saved the nation over N361 billion.”
The OAGF also expressed concern that the insinuations about the non-payment of salaries had the potential to incite the Armed Forces and the general public against the operations of IPPIS.
