FG detects 1,618 civil servants with fake employment letters

The Federal Government has discovered 1,618 civil servants using fake employment letters. The revelation was made by the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, during a media parley held ahead of the 2023 civil service week.

The significant breakthrough came as a result of the implementation of control mechanisms put in place by the Service to address identified loopholes in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

According to Yemi-Esan, a total of 69,854 officers within the core Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory have been enrolled into the system.

The Head of Service further highlighted that the ongoing efforts to sanitise the system have led to the suspension of several officers from the IPPIS platform due to their failure to upload their records. Such stringent measures are crucial to ensure that only legitimate employees are on the government's payroll, curbing the financial burden caused by ghost workers.

Good news for the 'real' civil servants

In addition to the clampdown on fraudulent activities, Yemi-Esan also revealed that the government is actively working towards improving the welfare of civil servants. As part of this endeavor, the Presidential Committee on Salary Harmonisation is currently reviewing salaries to reduce existing disparities.

Effective from January 2023, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a 40% increment in the Peculiar allowance, which will help bridge the gap in basic salaries.

Furthermore, the government is also focusing on enhancing staff Duty Tour Allowances (DTA) to better compensate civil servants for their official travels and duties.