The Federal Government saved N68 billion on personnel cost in 2017 following its move against ghost workers in the public service.
The amount brought government’s aggregate savings on personnel cost since 2007 to date to N288 billion.
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, made this known on Wednesday during her presentation of Status Update on Implementation of Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved projects at the Council’s meeting.
At the meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Adeosun explained that the savings were funds that would have otherwise gone unaccounted for.
She added that the funds were now free for the government to finance capital projects.
The minister also disclosed that the savings were achieved despite increase in personnel, including the employment of 10,000 personnel by the Nigerian Police.
She further confirmed that a total of 511 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had been captured under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), with staff count of 607,843.
“As at 20th March, 2018 the number of MDAs on IPPIS Payroll is 469 with 316,158 Staff Count with gross salary of N43,979,383,997.78 and 42 Police Commands and Formations paid on IPPIS Platform in February, 2018 with Staff Count of 291,685 and gross salary of N22,276,669,257.21.
“Staff of Para-Military Agencies (Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Prison Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps) enrolled to date is 100,822 for which a trial payroll of N11,456,278,859.00 have been sent for review and update for April, 2018 payroll,” Adeosun said.
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According to the minister, the introduction of the IPPIS had resulted in the reduction of ghost workers syndrome, enforcement of compliance with due process on employment of staff in MDAs, and prompt and timely payment of salaries and remittances of third parties payments.
She noted further that the IPPIS had become an assured source of internally generated revenue through payee to states and Federal Government.
She called for adequate funding of the IPPIS project to achieve it’s lofty objectives and to enable replacement of the obsolete infrastructure.
She also canvassed the need for a legislation to impose sanctions on non-compliance MDAs to achieve speedy and successful service delivery.
Adeosun also recommended that there was need to kit IPPIS stakeholders to overcome challenges for effective and efficient service delivery at all times.
