OAGF tightens rules for enrolling new workers in federal payroll

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has introduced stricter validation measures for the admission of newly recruited employees into the Federal Government payroll to strengthen accountability, transparency and efficiency in personnel management.

Under the new arrangement, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will be required to ensure that newly recruited employees are captured on their respective nominal rolls and meet all prescribed eligibility and validation requirements before being enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

The OAGF, in a press release issued on Monday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, said the measure was part of efforts to re-engineer payroll processes and strengthen controls over personnel records and the Federal Government payroll. It explained that MDAs, as budget owners, would henceforth assume greater responsibility for managing and accounting for their personnel budgets and nominal rolls.

The office said MDAs must formally submit requests for payroll admission to the OAGF, accompanied by relevant recruitment approvals, appointment letters, applicable waivers and other supporting documents.

It added that the documents, alongside employees’ records, salary structures, grade levels, steps, allowances and other financial entitlements, would undergo thorough verification.

The validation exercise will also cover statutory information, including Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) details, pension identification numbers, National Housing Fund (NHF) registration and tax records to ensure accurate deductions and timely remittances.

According to the OAGF, after its initial validation, employee records will be forwarded to the relevant MDAs for confirmation and endorsement by the Accounting Officer, Director of Human Resources, Director of Finance and Accounts, and designated Payroll Validating Officer.

The records will subsequently be returned to the OAGF for final processing.

It stressed that admission into the Federal Government payroll would only be granted after satisfactory completion of all validation procedures and approval by the Accountant-General of the Federation.

The office has directed all Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Agencies and other relevant officers to ensure strict compliance with the new requirements.

It warned that employee records with incomplete documentation or unresolved discrepancies would be deferred from payroll admission until all prescribed conditions were met.

It also said officers responsible for processing and approving payroll admissions would be held accountable for any breach of applicable rules and regulations.

The directive, which takes immediate effect, applies to all ongoing and subsequent payroll admission processes for newly recruited Federal Government employees.