President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Federal Government’s systems following reports of ghost workers, fake agencies and other administrative control failures that could expose public resources to abuse.
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 by the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday.
Tinubu directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive followed the Federal Executive Council’s resolution of August 19, 2026, which came in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on fake agencies, ghost workers and other weaknesses in government control systems.
Onanuga said the audit would determine the nature and extent of the weaknesses and establish how they may have been exploited to give fictitious or ineligible persons access to government resources.
The exercise will have two interconnected 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 examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled and assess 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-Treasury Single Account (STSA).
The review will determine whether fraudulent activities resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate separation 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.
According to Onanuga, the exercise will establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal basis. It will also examine how government bodies obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
The audit will further assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across the Federal Government, with the aim of identifying and closing systemic weaknesses that could allow irregular entities or individuals to access 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 systems and records and will work with the ICPC to ensure that the review complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recoveries.
The President expects the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure. It is also expected to strengthen government systems, 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 Presidency said the exercise underscores Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.
