Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has received a delegation from Soft Alliance and Resource Limited to explore the integration and automation of the Commission’s core statutory functions with relevant modules of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), with a view to strengthening digital service delivery, enhancing human resource management and improving personnel administration across the Federal Civil Service. This was contained in a statement signed by Ibraheem Zakariyya, Head, Press, and Public Relations, For the Commission.
Receiving the delegation in his Office, the Chairman of the Commission, Professor Tunji Olaopa, highlighted the need for seamless coordination between recruitment approvals and the onboarding of successful candidates on IPPIS. He noted that delays in uploading recruited personnel onto the system remained a concern and emphasised the importance of efficient, transparent and interconnected digital processes.
Professor Olaopa explained that the Commission currently operates an independent online recruitment portal that has enhanced transparency in its recruitment exercises. He identified two possible approaches to integration: retaining the existing portal and connecting it to IPPIS through an application programming interface (API), or pursuing full integration with the central government platform, subject to appropriate technical and operational arrangements.
The Chairman stressed that any integration framework must guarantee data sovereignty, process integrity and institutional control, particularly in view of the Commission’s statutory responsibilities for recruitment, promotion and other personnel-related functions.
He also underscored the importance of establishing a reliable, data-driven framework to support personnel management, disciplinary processes and other human resource functions across the Federal Civil Service.
In response, the Director of Soft Alliance and Resource Limited and IPPIS Consultant, Mr. Tunde Ojumu, outlined the evolution of IPPIS and the improvements made to enhance its functionality, flexibility and responsiveness to the operational needs of government institutions.
He explained that the system had evolved into a configurable, locally developed solution built on Oracle technology to accommodate the peculiarities of the Nigerian public service.
Mr. Ojumu expressed the company’s readiness to collaborate with the Commission’s technical team to assess existing platforms, identify operational gaps and determine suitable integration options. He explained that the system’s configurable features could accommodate institution-specific requirements, strengthen inter-agency workflows and facilitate the timely synchronisation of personnel records, including promotion and retirement information.
The engagement further highlighted the importance of accurate and synchronised personnel records in preventing administrative errors, improving payroll management and ensuring the proper application of retirement provisions. Both parties acknowledged the need for further technical discussions to examine their respective platforms, identify areas of compatibility and determine an appropriate framework for integrating the Commission’s core functions with relevant IPPIS modules.
The meeting was attended by Honourable Commissioner Hajiya Hindatu Abdullahi, representing Kaduna/Katsina States, and Honourable Commissioner Dr. Ededet Eyoma, representing Akwa Ibom/Cross River States, alongside other officials of the Commission and members of the visiting delegation. END
