Why federal tertiary institutions are facing salary delays – AGF explains

The Accountant General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, has revealed the root cause behind the ongoing salary crisis rocking Nigeria’s federal tertiary institutions.

Speaking during an interactive session in Abuja on Monday with vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and heads of regulatory bodies, Ogunjimi blamed the issue on a rushed and poorly coordinated migration from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

According to him, the transition was carried out without adhering to standard technical protocols, leading to a wave of challenges for workers in federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

Some of the key problems identified include: delayed salary payments, Inconsistent third-party deductions, Unremitted pension contributions.

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“Failure to comply with the recommendation to prepare a trial payroll for the remaining two months (November and December) of the year 2024, along with IPPIS and the abrupt migration to GIFMIS in the last quarter of the year, heightened some of the challenges experienced,” he said.

Since assuming office in March, the AGF said his office has received complaints from Pension Fund Administrators, state tax authorities, microcredit firms, and university unions regarding failed payments and deductions.

He explained that an Interministerial Technical Committee had earlier proposed a phased transition process. According to him, the committee advised that the October 2024 payroll should be executed on IPPIS, with staff data validated and uploaded onto GIFMIS by the end of October. It also recommended trial payroll runs for November and December to be supervised by IPPIS and processed on GIFMIS before a full handover on December 31, 2024.

Ogunjimi said these measures were ignored, creating the problems currently faced by many institutions. He added that his office had held consultations with university bursars and approved a joint training initiative with the Association of Bursars of Nigerian Universities to support institutions struggling with the new system.

“Despite all these steps, I still receive catalogues of complaints from the institutions,” he said. He added that the meeting was convened to address the concerns collectively and that feedback from the session would shape upcoming training programmes.

Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, also addressed the gathering. He commended the AGF for organising the session and highlighted issues uncovered during audits of institutions, including salary overpayments, improper appointments, and non-remittance of deductions.

Chira said such lapses have resulted in audit queries, financial losses, and reputational damage. He urged institutions to be transparent about their operational challenges and assured them of his office’s support in working with the OAGF to improve financial management in the education sector.