President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Federal Government agencies and other key government systems.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026, following findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on alleged “fake agencies,” ghost workers and other weaknesses in government control systems.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the forensic audit will determine the nature and extent of weaknesses in the Federal Government’s systems and establish how such loopholes may have been exploited.
Audit to investigate IPPIS, payroll and financial systems
The exercise will comprise two major components.
The first component will focus on a forensic audit of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial management platforms.
It will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC and trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled in government systems.
The audit will also examine access controls, identity verification, biometric records and bank account controls linked to government payroll systems.
According to the statement, the review will further examine the interfaces between IPPIS and other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
The objective is to determine whether identified fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established controls.
Tinubu orders review of all federal government agencies
The second component of the audit will cover Federal Government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
The exercise will establish a definitive inventory of government entities and verify their legal basis.
It will also examine how organisations obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
The audit team is expected to assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across government to identify and close systemic weaknesses that could enable irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
Audit team to work with ICPC
President Tinubu directed that the exercise must 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 collaborate with the ICPC to ensure that the exercise complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recoveries.
The President said the audit should go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failures.
Instead, the exercise is expected to strengthen the architecture of government, close systemic loopholes, improve data verification and reconciliation, reinforce accountability and ensure that only duly constituted government entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.
The forensic audit is part of the Tinubu administration’s broader efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.
