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The Federal Government on Monday launched the full Human Resource Modules of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), unveiling an indigenous digital platform that will automate personnel management across 508 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), digitise staff postings, strengthen payroll integrity and deepen transparency, accountability and workforce planning in the Federal Civil Service.
The platform, developed by SoftAlliance and Resources Limited, marks the transition of IPPIS from a payroll management system into a comprehensive human resource management solution covering employee recruitment, onboarding, promotions, mobility, leave administration, payroll, analytics and self-service.
Speaking at the official IPPIS Go-Live Ceremony in Abuja, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, described the launch as a defining moment in the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and a major step towards building a modern public service.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey towards building a modern, efficient and technology-driven Federal Civil Service. We are not just unveiling a digital platform, but institutionalising a better way of managing our most important resource, which is our people,” she said.
She noted that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises institutional strengthening, public sector efficiency, digital transformation and improved service delivery.
According to Walson-Jack, the platform expands on the Employee Self-Service mobile application unveiled during the 2026 Civil Service Week and now supports the entire employee life cycle, including biometric enrolment, establishment management, payroll administration, employee mobility, reporting and workforce analytics.
Highlighting one of the most anticipated reforms, she announced that staff deployment and transfers would now be handled digitally.
“Employee mobility is now digitalised. Post me here, post me there. I want a juicy posting no more. It is now digitalised,” she said, drawing applause from civil servants.
She explained that integrating all HR functions on a single platform serving 508 MDAs would eliminate duplication, improve personnel records, reduce payroll errors and strengthen internal controls through automated approvals, standardised workflows and reliable audit trails.
“Government cannot effectively plan its workforce, deploy skills, manage succession or allocate resources without accurate and timely information,” she stated.
Describing SoftSUITE as a home-grown innovation, Walson-Jack said the solution demonstrated the Federal Government’s Nigeria First policy.
“Significantly, this solution was built by Nigerians for Nigerians. It gives practical expression to the Nigeria First policy by prioritising indigenous expertise, Nigerian jobs and Nigerian intellectual property,” she said.
She added that the naira-denominated platform would reduce dependence on foreign software, minimise exposure to exchange rate fluctuations and ensure that sensitive personnel and payroll data remain under Nigerian jurisdiction.
However, she cautioned that technology alone would not deliver reforms.
“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 warned.
The Head of Service urged permanent secretaries, directors of human resource management and accounting officers to provide leadership for the successful implementation of the new platform while ensuring that officers receive adequate training.
Earlier, Managing Director of SoftAlliance and Resources Limited, Dr. Bisi Aina, said the launch represented the culmination of a 15-year partnership between the company and the Federal Government in modernising payroll and personnel administration.
He recalled that SoftAlliance was engaged in 2011 to implement the IPPIS payroll platform and biometric verification infrastructure, while the Federal Executive Council approved the indigenous SoftSUITE platform in 2018 as a cost-effective alternative to foreign enterprise software.
“Today, with the launch of the full suite of Human Capital Management modules, we complete the transition that this journey has been building towards,” Aina said.
According to him, the platform transforms IPPIS into a complete human capital management solution capable of managing the entire employee life cycle while providing government with reliable workforce data for evidence-based policy decisions.
“The Federal Government’s personnel and payroll infrastructure now runs on a platform conceived, built, deployed and supported entirely by Nigerians on Nigerian soil,” he said.
He added that the indigenous platform would shield government from foreign exchange volatility, reduce software licensing costs, protect sensitive national workforce data and provide a foundation for artificial intelligence-enabled workforce planning, digital identity services and future government system integration.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, described IPPIS as one of Nigeria’s most successful public service reforms since its introduction nearly two decades ago.
Recalling his involvement in the conception of the programme while serving at the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Olaopa said the initiative had evolved remarkably.
“It is unarguably one of the most successful reforms that we have initiated since 2007,” he said.
According to him, the system has gone beyond eliminating ghost workers to creating a centralised database for personnel information and enabling transparent salary payments directly into employees’ bank accounts.
“The success is not just in terms of the quantum of ghost workers that its biometric feature eliminates; it has also pulled all workforce information that were in silos into a centralised database,” he stated.
Olaopa said the new HR modules would enable over 600,000 federal civil servants to manage their records digitally, apply for leave online, automate promotion tracking and strengthen manpower forecasting.
He, however, called for stronger change management strategies and improvements in data integrity.
“We must find some explanation and resolution for data verification lag. Biometrics should be superior to physical verification,” he said.
To encourage adoption, he proposed appointing digital ambassadors across MDAs to support older officers and less technology-savvy workers.
“IPPIS should become something that all civil servants should regard as their own personal asset something they should relate with and be proud to work with,” he added.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, said the IPPIS programme had grown from only seven pilot MDAs in 2007 to 508 MDAs with over one million employee records.
“IPPIS actually commenced in 2007 with just seven pilot MDAs. Today we have 508 MDAs on board with over one million employee records,” he said.
He described the introduction of the HR modules as the natural progression of reforms that had already transformed payroll administration by eliminating fraud and strengthening accountability.
“The introduction of Human Resource Modules represents a natural progression of this reform journey, moving from payroll administration to comprehensive digital human capital management,” Ogunjimi said.
He noted that integrating HR management with payroll and public financial management systems would improve fiscal discipline, budget execution and expenditure control while supporting evidence-based policy decisions.
While stressing that technology alone could not transform the public service, he urged all MDAs to maintain accurate personnel records and uphold data integrity.
“Digital transformation is as much about people and processes as it is about technology,” he said.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Office of the Accountant-General to supporting reforms that promote transparency, operational efficiency and sound public financial management.
Providing an overview of the project, Abiodun Olushola, a member of the implementation team, said the launch marked the commencement of the first phase of the full Human Resource Modules, explaining that the deployment followed years of planning and stakeholder engagement to ensure seamless implementation across the Federal Civil Service.
The event brought together permanent secretaries, directors, heads of government agencies, development partners and senior civil servants, all of whom described the deployment of the indigenous platform as a major milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing public service reforms aimed at building a digitally enabled, transparent and citizen-centred civil service.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Mrs. Nkiruka Bella Jones-Nebo, called on permanent secretaries and key stakeholders across the Federal Civil Service to support the effective implementation of the newly launched Human Resource Modules of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). Speaking at the launch ceremony in Abuja, Jones-Nebo described the initiative as “another important milestone in our collective efforts to modernise and strengthen human resource management across the Federal Civil Service through technology-driven reforms.”
She commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her “visionary leadership, steadfast commitment and unwavering support for public service transformation,” adding that the success and sustainability of the reform would depend on the commitment of accounting officers, human resource directors and other stakeholders across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
