The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has identified 22,074 suspicious personnel on the Federal Government’s payroll, with a total financial impact of N34,808,740,634.37. The commission’s report revealed that these personnel were found across various Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and tertiary institutions, with the Nigeria Police Force being the most implicated.
According to the report, “The general overview of the Nominal Roll and Payroll of MDAs furnished by IPPIS and subjected to an analysis established a quantum disparity of 12, 174 personnel between the two parameters (nominal roll and payroll) used in the analysis.”
The ICPC found that 12,714 personnel in the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) were listed on the payroll but not included in the service-wide nominal roll from January to December last year. Additionally, approximately 4,190 former police officers were found on the IPPIS payroll.
The commission discovered numerous instances of fraud, including double salary payments, fictitious names on the IPPIS, fake identities used to embezzle public funds, and ghost workers. In one instance, 212 officers at the Ministry of Works were found to be absent from both the ministry’s nominal roll and the service-wide nominal roll of IPPIS, yet received a combined monthly salary of N31,986,324.40.
The report also revealed that 24 workers from approximately 20 MDAs were receiving double salaries, and in some cases, from additional sources. Furthermore, 95 personnel across various MDAs had names listed on both the payroll and the nominal roll, yet discrepancies arose when their identities were verified through banking applications.
The ICPC’s findings suggest a widespread corruption and fraud in the IPPIS system, with thousands of ex-employees still on the payroll. As the commission stated, “The fraud was allegedly more entrenched in the Nigeria Police Force with thousands of ex-employees on the payroll.”
