The Nigerian-based SystemSpecs Consortium has begun the implementation of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) into the Nigerian federal government to eliminate "ghost workers".
This is according to Braimah Moses, senior manager of corporate services at SytemSpecs.
The Nigerian government, through the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), signed a World Bank sponsored $4.9 million contract with SystemSpecs in October for the provision of IPPIS.
The project will provide a database of accurate records of federal civil servants, Moses says. The ghost worker syndrome, which is a serious problem in the West African country, is largely associated with the public sector. Government is the largest employer of labour and operates a manual, non-centralised employee management system, he explains.
The chairman of BPSR and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mallam Nasir el-Rufai says in the FCT government is losing about $8 million annually due to ghost workers on its payroll.
Staff audit
The ghost workers were detected after a staff audit was carried out, which showed of the 26 017 workers on the FCT payroll, 6 000 were fictitious, according to a statement.
The Nigerian government regards the implementation of a computerised IPPIS as the most fundamental component of its ongoing public service reform agenda, says Moses.
IPPIS will improve effectiveness and efficiency in government transactions, and enhance confidence in payroll costs and budgeting. It will also improve management reporting and information, he adds.
The pilot phase of the project will involve six ministries and conclude in February, he says. Moses notes that employee data collection is the next phase of the project, and it is expected to commence this week.
The SystemSpecs Consortium was in the running for the contract with 13 other national companies and is made up of Impact, Interglobal, Telnet and SystemSpecs.
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