Tinubu Orders Forensic Audit of IPPIS, Federal Agencies Over Ghost Workers, Systemic Control Failures
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and the administration and internal controls of federal agencies.
The directive follows a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026, arising from findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning alleged fake government agencies, ghost workers and other weaknesses in public-sector control systems.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the exercise is designed to determine the nature and extent of weaknesses within government systems and establish how such loopholes may have been exploited to access public resources.
The audit 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.
The exercise will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled and examine access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls.
It will also review 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, to determine whether identified irregularities resulted from system weaknesses, process failures, inadequate separation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established controls.
The second component will cover Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
It will establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal status and basis for existence. The audit will also examine how government bodies obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
In addition, the exercise will assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across the Federal Government, with the aim of identifying and closing systemic loopholes that could enable irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
President Tinubu directed that the audit be conducted according to 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 exercise complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts.
The President expects the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure. It is also intended to strengthen the overall architecture of government, improve data verification and reconciliation, reinforce accountability and ensure that only legally constituted government entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.
The initiative underscores President Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to strengthening transparency, fiscal governance, accountability and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.
Tinubu Orders Forensic Audit of IPPIS, Federal Agencies Over Ghost Workers, Systemic Control Failures