The Director in Charge of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), Emma James Deko, informed the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the non-remittance of deductions from workers' salaries for the National Housing Fund that the agency is not responsible for paying workers' salaries. Deko mentioned during the committee hearing that deductions from workers are often not remitted due to a shortage of cash backing for wage approvals. Sometimes, directives are given to only pay the net of workers' salaries, while the gross amount is held due to funding shortages.
Deko clarified that while IPPIS handles salary preparation for Federal workers, the actual payment is managed by four government-appointed gateways: Nigeria Interbank Payment System (NIPS), E-Transact, Remita, and GIFMIS. He emphasized that IPPIS only covers the executive arm of the government, not all employees.
Deko highlighted the difficulties in providing evidence of remittances and beneficiary names, as IPPIS doesn't handle payments to beneficiaries directly. He acknowledged the challenge of collating information dating back to 2011 based on the committee's request. He also explained instances where insufficient cash backing leads to partial salary payments, where only the net amount is paid, resulting in deductions being stepped down.
However, the committee decided to summon the Accountant General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria to explain the delays in remitting deductions from workers' salaries to the Federal Mortgage Bank. Both entities are expected to appear before the committee on Thursday.