TheCable

The federal government says it has achieved 100 percent transformation in the management of funds and resources from paper to paperless.

Dasuki Arabi, director-general, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), said this on Thursday at the 43rd session of the ministerial media briefing in Abuja.

Arabi said the reforms in various sectors have been possible through the use of information technology (IT).

He said one of the mandates of BPSR is to ensure the full implementation of reform policies and programmes for the government.

“The initiation of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIGMIS) has made government business paperless, and it has reduced man-to-man contact and processing, payments in ministries, departments and agencies of government. At the touch of a button, we can see who is spending what and where,” Arabi said.

“We have transited 100 percent management of government funds and resources from paper to paperless. This is the most successful aspect of the transformation of public service.”

While reacting to the question of IPPIS and the misconceptions about the unnecessary deductions, Arabi said deductions do not occur on their own except where there are loans.

He also added that the payment platform does not check fraudulent acts or a platform for payment of contracts.

“These are some of the benefits that we think the government or Nigerians have benefited out of the work that we have been doing in collaboration with other agencies of government, where with the introduction of IPPIS about 70,000 ghost workers have been eliminated from the payroll.

“On deductions and complaints around IPPIS, you know, we have just started from the pilot ministries, six. We went to 10 then because of the push by the international community, especially the development partners, who are eager to get Nigeria at that level at par with other nations we went through.

“For every deduction that is done, there is justification for that. And if there are problems, they are identified, and complaints I made will be rectified and quite a number of our colleagues, some may have taken a lot of loans that have committed themselves, deductions are being made left, right and centre.

“So, I want to assure you that the government is addressing some of these problems.”

He further added that the establishment of a single treasury account has helped reduce wastage and mismanagement of funds by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)