FG announces deadline for civil servants’ identity verification

In a renewed effort to eliminate ghost workers from its payroll, the Nigerian government has set a February 17, 2025, deadline for all federal civil servants to complete their identity verification.

The directive was issued through a memo from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), emphasizing the mandatory verification process via the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Civil servants are required to provide their Tax Identification Number (TIN), IPPIS number, and salary account details as part of the exercise.

According to the memo, the verification portal, initially set to close earlier, has been extended by one week—running from February 10 to February 17, 2025. The government warned that employees who fail to complete the process by the deadline risk salary suspension and other sanctions.

“It is hereby emphasized that all employees concerned are expected to conclude updating their payroll information on or before 12 midnight on Monday, February 17, 2025,” the memo stated. “Please note that officers who fail to avail themselves of this last opportunity may suffer some consequences, which may include suspension from the payroll.”

The circular also directed accounting officers and finance department heads in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure full compliance.

This move aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s 2024 directive to recover salaries illegally drawn by civil servants who relocated abroad while still receiving government paychecks. The president also ordered penalties for supervisors and department heads found complicit in payroll fraud.

The crackdown signals the federal government’s intensified push to sanitize its workforce and curb financial leakages in public service.