FILES: Workers outside the Federal Secretariat, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems following reports of ghost workers, payroll fraud and the existence of “fake agencies.”
The audit will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Federal Government agencies and their administrative and internal control systems, according to a statement issued on Friday by the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
Tinubu directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive follows a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026, which was prompted by findings from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on “fake agencies,” ghost workers and other control failures within government.
According to Onanuga, the audit will determine the nature and extent of weaknesses in the government’s control systems and establish how those weaknesses may have been exploited.
The exercise will have two major components.
The first will focus on a forensic review of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
It will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible individuals were enrolled, and examine access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls.
The audit will also examine the links between IPPIS and other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
The review will seek to determine whether identified fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established controls.
The second component will cover all Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
The exercise will establish a definitive inventory of these entities, verify their legal status and examine how they obtain official recognition, budgetary allocations, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
It will also assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across government to identify and close systemic loopholes that could enable irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
Tinubu directed that the exercise be conducted with the highest standards of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity.
The audit team will have access to relevant government records and systems and will work with the ICPC to ensure that the exercise complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts.
Onanuga said the President expects the audit to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failures.
Instead, it is expected to strengthen government systems, close systemic loopholes, improve data verification and reconciliation, reinforce accountability and ensure that only legally constituted entities and eligible personnel have access to government resources.
The exercise, according to the presidency, underscores Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.
