President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a sweeping forensic audit of the Federal Government’s payroll and personnel systems, along with all federal agencies, departments and parastatals, following revelations of “fake agencies” and ghost workers uncovered by anti-corruption investigators.
According to a statement issued Friday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to “oversee and coordinate a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems.”
The directive follows a resolution by the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, taken in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on fraudulent agencies and payroll irregularities.
The audit will run along two interconnected tracks, the statement said.
The first component will scrutinise the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and related payroll, pension and financial-management platforms. Investigators will reconcile ghost-worker figures already identified by the ICPC, trace how ineligible persons were enrolled onto the payroll, and review biometric, identity and bank-account controls.
The probe will also examine how IPPIS interfaces with other government platforms — including GIFMIS, Remita, the Treasury Single Account and Sub-TSA — to determine whether the fraud stemmed from system defects, weak internal processes, or deliberate manipulation.
The second component will cover all federal agencies, departments, commissions, councils and parastatals, establishing a definitive inventory of such bodies and verifying their legal standing. Auditors will examine how these entities secure official recognition, budget allocations, office space and access to government systems, with a broader look at procurement and internal-audit controls across government.
Onanuga said the President directed that the exercise be carried out “with the highest standards of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity.” The audit team will reportedly have full access to relevant government systems and records, and will work alongside the ICPC to ensure the review complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and asset-recovery efforts.
The statement noted that Tinubu wants the exercise to go beyond flagging individual fraud cases, aiming instead to strengthen the government’s institutional architecture, close systemic loopholes, improve data verification, and ensure only legitimately constituted agencies and eligible personnel can access public resources.
“The exercise underscores the President’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government,” the statement concluded.
