FG Sets Deadline For Civil Servants’ Identity Verification

Civil Servants’ Identity Verification

Federal civil servants must verify identities by February 17 to avoid salary suspension.
Verification requires TIN, IPPIS number, and salary account details on the government portal.
Tinubu orders refund of salaries paid to relocated civil servants abroad.

The Federal Government has set February 17, 2025, as the final deadline for civil servants to complete their identity verification, as part of efforts to eliminate ghost workers from the payroll.

This directive was contained in a memo from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), obtained by Punch on Saturday.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the verification process will be conducted via the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), with strict penalties, including salary suspension, for those who fail to comply.

Our findings indicate that many civil servants are rushing to obtain their Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN) to meet the deadline. The TIN, along with the IPPIS number and salary account details, are mandatory requirements for the verification process.

The memo stated, “Following the Treasury Circular with Ref. No. TRY/A6&B6/2024-OAGF/CAD/026/Vol. V/910 dated June 27, 2024, and the subsequent extension on August 16, 2024, the Accountant-General of the Federation has approved an additional one-week extension of the OAGF-IPPIS Payroll Validation Portal from February 10 to 17, 2025.”

The document emphasized that civil servants must complete their payroll validation before 12 midnight on Monday, February 17, 2025. It warned that failure to comply may lead to sanctions, including removal from the payroll.

“All employees concerned are expected to conclude the update of their payroll information before the stipulated deadline. Officers who fail to comply may face consequences, including suspension from the payroll,” the memo added.

Accounting officers, finance directors, and internal audit heads in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have been urged to widely circulate the directive and ensure full compliance.

In 2024, President Bola Tinubu had directed that civil servants who continued drawing salaries from the Federal Government despite relocating abroad must refund the money. He also ordered that their supervisors and department heads be sanctioned for aiding and abetting such fraud.