FG Ends Manual Civil Service Postings, Promotions, Launches Digital HR Platform

The Federal Government has launched the Human Resource (HR) Modules of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), introducing a fully digital platform to automate staff postings, promotions, leave applications and other personnel processes across the Federal Civil Service.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, said the platform marks a major milestone in the government’s efforts to build a modern, efficient and technology-driven public service in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Speaking on Monday at the IPPIS Go-Live Ceremony in Abuja, Walson-Jack described the initiative as more than a digital platform, saying it represents a new approach to managing the Federal Government’s workforce.

“We are not just unveiling a digital platform, but institutionalising a better way of managing our most important resource, which is our people, our employees,” she said.

According to her, the new system replaces manual human resource processes with an integrated digital platform covering the entire employee lifecycle.

She explained that the HR modules support biometric enrolment, onboarding, payroll administration, employee mobility, human resource management, reporting and data analytics across the 508 ministries, departments and agencies currently captured under IPPIS.

Walson-Jack said the era of lobbying for favourable staff postings had come to an end, stressing that deployments would now be handled digitally.

“Post me here, post me there. I want a juicy posting, no more. It is now digitalised,” she said.

“No more lobbying for posting.”

She noted that integrating personnel functions into a single platform would eliminate duplication, improve record management, reduce errors and delays, while promoting transparency through automated approvals, standardised workflows and reliable audit trails.

The Head of Service added that the employee self-service module would enable civil servants to securely access and update their records, reducing paperwork and administrative bottlenecks.

“This is the true value of digital transformation. Simpler processes, faster services, better information and greater accountability. Technology must make the work of civil servants easier and strengthen the capacity of government to serve Nigerians,” she said.

Walson-Jack disclosed that the transition from the Oracle Electronic Business Suite to the new platform followed extensive testing and technical evaluations, noting that the software was developed by Nigerians.

“Significantly, this solution was built by Nigerians for Nigerians,” she said, describing it as a practical demonstration of the Nigeria First policy.

She urged ministries, departments and agencies to embrace the new platform, warning that technology alone would not deliver meaningful reforms without corresponding changes in work culture and administrative processes.

“We cannot adopt new technology while retaining inefficient practices. The platform must not become an electronic version of old bureaucracy. Processes must be simplified, responsibilities clearly defined and unnecessary delays eliminated,” she said.

Also speaking, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, said IPPIS, which began in 2007 with seven pilot ministries, had expanded to cover 508 MDAs with more than 1,008,800 employee records.

He described the HR modules as “a natural progression of this reform journey,” shifting IPPIS from payroll administration to comprehensive digital human capital management.

According to him, integrating human resource management with payroll administration will strengthen fiscal discipline, improve workforce planning and enhance transparency in public financial management.

The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, described IPPIS as one of Nigeria’s most successful public sector reforms, noting that it has helped eliminate ghost workers and centralise personnel records.

He said the new HR modules would enable civil servants to manage their records, apply for annual leave online, monitor promotions and disciplinary processes, and support data-driven workforce planning.

The Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Nkiruka Jones-Nebo, described the launch as another milestone in the government’s efforts to modernise human resource management through technology.

She said the success of the platform would depend on the commitment of permanent secretaries and accounting officers to ensure its effective adoption across ministries, departments and agencies.

Jones-Nebo urged directors of human resource management, IPPIS desk officers, information technology officers and other stakeholders to serve as change champions and ensure the successful implementation of the new system.

The Managing Director of SoftAlliance and Resources Limited, Dr. Bisi Aina, whose company developed the platform, said the launch marked the completion of a 15-year digital transformation journey that had evolved IPPIS from a payroll system into a comprehensive human capital management platform.

Aina said the indigenous solution would reduce dependence on foreign software, minimise exposure to foreign exchange fluctuations and ensure sensitive personnel data remained under Nigerian control.

The Federal Government said the platform would provide the foundation for future integration with other government systems, advanced analytics and predictive workforce planning as part of efforts to build a more efficient, transparent and globally competitive Federal Civil Service.

SOURCE: VANGUARD