President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), ministries, departments and agencies, following concerns over ghost workers, “fake agencies” and other control weaknesses within the public sector.
The President has directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026, in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning irregular entities, ghost workers and other failures in government control systems.
According to the Presidency, the audit is expected to determine the nature and extent of weaknesses in government systems and establish how such weaknesses may have been exploited.
Audit to Focus on Two Key Areas
The exercise will comprise two interconnected components.
The first component will focus on a forensic review of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
The audit will examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled and review access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls.
It will also examine the interfaces 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 objective, according to the Presidency, is to establish 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 agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
The exercise will seek to establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal basis. It will also examine how entities obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
Focus on Governance and Accountability
The audit will further assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight controls across government, with the aim of closing systemic weaknesses that could enable irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
President Tinubu directed that the exercise be conducted in accordance with the highest standards of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity.
The audit team is expected to have access to relevant government systems and records and will collaborate with the ICPC to ensure that the exercise complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts.
Beyond Identifying Fraud
The President expects the audit to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure.
According to the State House, the broader objective is to strengthen the architecture of government, close systemic loopholes, improve data verification and reconciliation, reinforce accountability and ensure that only duly constituted entities and eligible personnel have access to government resources.
The exercise, the Presidency said, underscores President Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.