The Integrated Payroll System introduced by the Governor Rauf Aregbesola led administration in the State of Osun has improved financial management in the state and helped to block leakages which were hitherto the order of the day before the current government took over in 2010.
Aside the fact that the system combines all segments of the workforce including pensioners in the same payroll, the move has also made financial transactions easier with workers and retirees remuneration easy to disburse and paid.
With partnership from Chams to manage effectively the procedure, the process carried out with the use of Information Communication Technology, ICT has further deepened and checked all forms of financial impropriety associated with the payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities as experienced in the past.
Some civil servants who handle the payroll of respective government MDAs like Mrs Obalade Oluwatoyin of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Mrs Ajayi of the Ministry of Finance, Mr Adeyemi Yinka of the Osun State College of Education Ilesa as well as Mr Ayodele Akinjobi of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo while speaking to newsmen over the weekend affirmed that the new system has in no small measure contributed to making the payment of salaries efficient.
According to the four respondents, the Integrated Payroll System has in a great way improved their knowledge of ICT in the realm of payroll management and as well placed the state in the comity of states with the prevalence of adequate, responsive and effective model of salary payment in the country.
Moses Olorunsola who is a Payroll Officer with the State Government of Osun said apart from convenience, the process has eliminated the multiple verification exercise for pensioners, curbed delay in the payment process with onward transfer to CHAMS, the consultancy firm for correction and onward payment.
Adesanmi Adeleke who works for CHAMS said the initiative was put in place to eradicate the challenges that have ridden the public service payroll system for a long time and deploy a biometric driven payroll system for the state.
He said before December 2017, about 150 payroll officers as well as salary officers in every government agency will be trained to be more enlightened about the process and conform to international best practices without prior assistance of the contracting agencies.
Adeleke stated that the payroll skill empowerment and acquisition programme organized by CHAMS will go a long way in driving the state Salary Automation Programme.
The Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Finance, Mrs Adebimpe Ogunlumade said the Staff Audit Biometric System in use in the State of Osun is among the first of its kind in the country with a great efficiency in Salary Payment.
She held that aside bringing the needed innovation, the Integrated Payroll System has blocked leakages, curbed wastage, absolved inefficiency and restored sanity coupled with financial prudency on the part of the State Government of Osun.