The Federal Government has again extended the deadline allowing federal civil servants to verify their identities on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System portal, The PUNCH reports.
A new circular signed by the IPPIS management and sighted by our correspondent on Sunday said a further one-week window ending on Friday, August 23, 2024, has been allowed for those who may not have updated their information.
It also confirmed that the process of collating and validating all submitted information has begun.
Recall that the government had directed that all employees registered on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System should update their details as part of efforts to curb salary fraud.
The circular issued by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, gave a deadline of July 31 before granting a two-week extension, which ended on August 15.
The directive to verify the identity of all civil servants was issued after a citizen living abroad reported that he had continued to receive his monthly pay despite having left the country years earlier.
In response, President Bola Tinubu directed that all civil servants who are drawing salaries from the government after relocating abroad should be made to refund the money.
The President also said that supervisors and department heads found to have facilitated such fraudulent activities would face disciplinary actions for their complicity.
“During my recent visit to South Africa, I kept abreast of the week’s activities. I was particularly struck by the revelations shared by the Head of the Civil Service regarding employees who had relocated abroad while drawing salaries without formally resigning.
“It is heartening to hear that measures have been taken to address this issue, but we must ensure those responsible are held accountable and restitution is made.
“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected. Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch,” Tinubu had said.
The new circular, titled, ‘Notification of closure of payroll validation portal’, reads, “The Treasury Circular with Ref. No. TRY/A6&B6/2024- GAGF/CAD/026/Vol. V/2024, dated June 27, 2024, extended the deadline for the Payroll Validation Portal to midnight on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
“The process of collation /validation of all information submitted has commenced. During the period of collation, a further one-week window ending on Friday, August 23, 2024, has been allowed for those who may not have updated their information.
“It is hereby emphasised that any employee who does not comply with the circular before the deadline will be suspended from the payroll.”