Like Emefiele, Like Bawa; Heads Roll in Aso Rock as Tinubu Suspends IPPIS Officers Over Salary Padding

Abdulrasheed Bawa

Barely few days after the suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and followed by yesterday's suspension of the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, heads have started rolling in the presidency over financial impropriety.

Fountain Newsbreaker's source revealed that an Assistant Director of Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) in charge of staff’ salary was suspended over allegation of connivance with some staff to pad up the salaries of unspecified number of lower level staff. 

Aside this, Assistant Director (name withheld), the President was reported to have suspended other civil servants across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) for allegedly padding the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).   

The allegation was confirmed by RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Bello Shehu, who said those identified had been placed on suspension pending investigation. The affected workers were found to have manipulated the IPPIS system to pad their salaries. The scheme was discovered when a level 7 officer whose salary should be in the range of N60,000 was paid over N400,000, which was in the range of a salary package of a Director.  

Just yesterday, the President approved the indefinite suspension from office of Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa as the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.

In a press release statement signed by the Director, information for Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, he gives more information about Bawa suspension, which says, 'This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him. Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.

Reacting to the new development in the presidency, the OAGF in a statement said it was, “in receipt of enquiries over alleged ‘salary padding’ on the IPPIS involving some unspecified MDAs.” “In the meantime, a staff suspected to be connected with the breach has been suspended to allow for thorough investigation. “All necessary steps are being taken to strengthen the controls around the IPPIS payment platform and an independent forensic audit of the entire payroll system is underway to ascertain if the reported breach is isolated or widespread,” Shehu said.