Tinubu orders forensic audit of IPPIS, federal agencies over ghost workers, fake agencies
President Bola Tinubu
Abdullateef Fowewe
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to coordinate a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), following concerns over ghost workers, payroll fraud, and “fake agencies.”
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the directive followed a Federal Executive Council resolution of August 19, 2026, prompted by findings of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Onanuga said the audit would scrutinise government agencies, their administration and internal controls in order to establish the “nature and extent of weaknesses in Government’s control system” and determine how the gaps may have been exploited.
“The exercise will establish the nature and extent of weaknesses in Government’s control system, and determine how such weaknesses have been exploited,” he said.
According to the presidential aide, the review will have two key components, beginning with a forensic examination of IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
He said the audit would investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures earlier identified by the ICPC and trace how fictitious or ineligible persons may have been enrolled on government platforms.
“The first will focus on a forensic audit 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 the figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled, and review access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls,” Onanuga said.
The audit will also examine links between IPPIS and other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, Remita, the Treasury Single Account and Sub-TSA.
According to the statement, the review will determine whether fraud was enabled by system defects, process failures, weak segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established controls.
The second component will cover all Federal Government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other public bodies.
It is expected to produce a definitive inventory of government entities, verify their legal basis and examine how they obtain official recognition, budgetary provisions, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
“The exercise will assess governance, procurement, internal-audit, and oversight controls across Government to close systemic weaknesses that could allow irregular entities or persons to access public resources,” Onanuga added.
Tinubu directed that the audit be conducted with “the highest standards of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity,” while granting the audit team access to relevant government systems and records.
The team will work with the ICPC to ensure that its findings complement ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts by the anti-graft agency.
The President, according to Onanuga, expects the exercise to move beyond identifying individual cases of fraud by strengthening government controls, improving data verification and reconciliation, and ensuring that only properly constituted entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.
“The exercise underscores the President’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government,” the statement said.
