The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, has reassured medical doctors in the Federal Government employment that the government is fully committed to ensuring that all workers on the Federal Government pay roll are captured in the Integrated Personnel And Payment Information System (IPPIS).

Idris gave this assurance while receiving the members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and Representatives of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) who were at the Treasury House in Abuja to interact with him.

He explained that although it is government’s plan to ensure that all agencies of government and categories of staff are enrolled in the scheme, but the process is being done in phases to ensure that transparency, accuracy and due process are followed.

The AGF assured them of the support of his office and directed the Director of IPPIS, Mr. Murtala Musa Oluwatoyin, to come up with a road map that will articulate how all doctors, General Consultants, Resident Doctors and House officers in all government hospitals will be integrated into the IPPIS platform.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Onyebueze John, commended government on the implementation of the IPPIS, saying that the scheme has proved to be an effective tool for checking leakages and reducing waste.

He urged the government to fast track the process of enrolling all medical doctors in the government employment, saying that the process will help to streamline the imbalances in the payment of medical doctors, block leakages and save cost for the government to do other things.

Dr. Onyebueze told the AGF that the Association has already sensitised its members on the need for the enrollment, saying that they are fully ready to support government on the implementation.

In his own remarks, the chairman of the Remuneration Committee, Dr. Nosa Lancy Orhue, said that the Nigeria Medical Association is fully in support of the policy and will do all it can to ensure that doctors are enrolled in the IPPIS platform .

N1.9bn Fraud: Court gives verdict on Wagbatsoma, others Jan 13

Justice Lateefa Okunnu of Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, will on January 13, 2017 deliver judgement in a N1.9 billion oil subsidy theft charge brought against Walter Wagbatsoma, Adaoha Ugo-Ndagi and Ontario Oil & Gas Limited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

They are alleged to have on July 7, 2010 obtained the sum of N340 million by false pretence from the Federal Government purporting the money to be subsidy payable to Ontario Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited. The offence is among several others brought against them by the EFCC in a case of conspiracy, obtaining property by false pretence, forgery and altering of documents.

Justice Okunnu had earlier dismissed all three applications filed on behalf of Walter Wagbatsoma, Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi and their company, Ontario Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, challenging the jurisdiction and competence of the lower court as well as a no-case submission, argued by the defendants.

Their attempt to also use the Court of Appeal to stop their trial also failed. In a lead ruling delivered by Justice Amina Augie, on April 30, 2015, the appellate court again dismissed their applications to stop the trial, by affirming the jurisdiction of the lower court, and ordered him and others to “go and face trial.”

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