Salary Disruptions in Tertiary Institutions Tied to IPPIS-GIFMIS Switch

The Federal Government has attributed ongoing salary delays and financial irregularities in tertiary institutions to a poorly executed transition from IPPIS to GIFMIS, compounded by longstanding mismanagement and a failure to follow recommended migration protocols.

The Federal Government has blamed persistent salary delays and irregularities in federal universities and other tertiary institutions on a rushed and poorly managed transition from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

IPPIS is a centralized payroll system designed to ensure accurate and timely payments to government workers while eliminating fraud and ghost workers. GIFMIS, on the other hand, is a digital platform that streamlines the federal government’s budgeting, accounting, and reporting processes.

According to government officials, longstanding issues in tertiary institutions—including overpayment of salaries, irregular staff recruitment, unremitted deductions, and unauthorized allowances—have been further compounded by the transition process.

At an interactive session in Abuja with vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and regulatory bodies, Accountant-General of the Federation Shamseldeen Ogunjimi and Auditor-General Shaakaa Chira outlined the situation and the government’s response.

Ogunjimi, who assumed office in March, said the bypassing of technical protocols led to numerous complaints of delayed payments and unremitted pension and tax contributions. He noted that pension fund administrators, state revenue services, microfinance organizations, and labor unions have submitted a wave of petitions regarding these issues.

To address this, an Interministerial Technical Committee was formed. Its key recommendations included:

• Completing the October 2024 payroll on IPPIS
• Uploading validated staff records to GIFMIS by October 31, 2024
• Granting institutional payroll officers access to GIFMIS by the same date
• Running test payrolls in November and December using IPPIS data, but executing actual payments via GIFMIS
• Finalizing the IPPIS sign-off by December 31, 2024
• Clearing outstanding salary arrears, promotions, and third-party deductions

Ogunjimi emphasized that failure to follow these steps—particularly the trial payroll runs—exacerbated the salary problems.

Auditor-General Chira added that financial mismanagement in tertiary institutions, including overpayments and questionable recruitments, continues to attract audit queries and damage institutional reputations. He urged school administrators to be transparent about operational challenges and to support the ongoing reform efforts aimed at aligning payroll and accounting systems with the realities of higher education.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, THE NATION