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President Tinubu Orders Sweeping Forensic Audit of Federal Government Systems, Targets Ghost Workers, Payroll Fraud and ‘Fake Agencies’
President Tinubu Orders Sweeping Forensic Audit of Federal Government Systems, Targets Ghost Workers, Payroll Fraud and ‘Fake Agencies’
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems and institutions in a major move aimed at uncovering fraud, strengthening internal controls and blocking loopholes through which public resources may have been misappropriated.
The audit, which will be coordinated by the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Federal Government agencies and their administrative and internal-control structures.
The directive followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026, which was reached in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning “fake agencies”, ghost workers and other weaknesses within government control systems.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the exercise is designed not merely to identify individual cases of fraud but to establish the full nature and extent of weaknesses within government systems and determine how those weaknesses have been exploited.
A major focus of the audit will be the government’s payroll and personnel management architecture, particularly IPPIS and other systems connected to personnel, pensions and financial management.
The forensic review will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures uncovered by the ICPC and trace the processes through which fictitious or ineligible persons may have been enrolled on government payrolls.
Auditors will also scrutinise access controls, identity verification, biometric records and bank-account information to determine whether weaknesses in these areas allowed unauthorised individuals to receive public funds.
Beyond IPPIS, the exercise will examine how the payroll platform interacts with other critical government financial systems, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
The review is expected to determine whether irregularities resulted from technical defects, administrative failures, inadequate separation of responsibilities or deliberate attempts to bypass established controls.
The second major component of the audit will extend across the Federal Government’s institutional structure, covering ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
Under the exercise, the government intends to establish a definitive inventory of Federal Government entities and verify the legal basis for their existence.
The audit will also investigate how various entities obtain official recognition, gain access to budgetary consideration, receive correspondence privileges, secure office facilities and connect to government systems.
Governance, procurement, internal-audit and oversight mechanisms across government institutions will equally come under scrutiny as the administration seeks to identify and close systemic loopholes capable of allowing irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
The Presidency said the exercise would be carried out under strict standards of independence and professionalism, with auditors expected to maintain forensic integrity throughout the process.
“President 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 systems and records. It will collaborate with the ICPC to ensure that the review complements all ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recoveries.
“President Tinubu expects the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure by strengthening the architecture of Government, closing systemic loopholes, improving data verification and reconciliation, reinforcing accountability, and ensuring that only duly constituted entities and eligible personnel have access to Government resources.
“The exercise underscores the President’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government,” the statement read.
The comprehensive review is therefore expected to serve as both an investigative and reform exercise, with its findings potentially informing further prosecutions, recoveries and changes to government systems.
By linking the audit with the ongoing work of the ICPC, the Federal Government is also positioning the exercise to support the investigation of suspected financial irregularities and strengthen the evidential basis for possible prosecutions and recovery of public funds.
The administration’s broader objective is to ensure that government payrolls, institutions and financial platforms operate with stronger verification, reconciliation and accountability mechanisms, while preventing fictitious entities and ineligible personnel from benefiting from public resources.
DO YOU WANT TO WHISTLEBLOW, REPORT FRAUD, THEFT OR INJUSTICE OR INTIMIDATION? SEND US YOUR STORY/REPORT TO NEWSDESK@MEDIATODAY.NG
