President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and all Federal Government agencies amid concerns over ghost workers, payroll fraud and weaknesses in government control systems.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the directive followed the resolution of the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning fake agencies, ghost workers and other control failures.
The audit will have two major components, with the first focusing on government payroll and financial-management systems.
The exercise will examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC and trace how fictitious or ineligible individuals were enrolled in government payroll systems.
It will also review access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls, as well as the interfaces between IPPIS and other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-Treasury Single Account (STSA).
The review will determine whether fraudulent activities resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of existing controls.
The second component will cover all Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
It will establish a definitive inventory of government entities and verify their legal status, while examining how they obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
The exercise will also assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across the Federal Government to identify and close loopholes that could allow irregular entities or individuals to access public resources.
Tinubu directed that the audit 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 exercise complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and asset recoveries.
The President said the review must go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failures and focus on strengthening the overall architecture of government.
The exercise is expected to improve data verification and reconciliation, reinforce accountability and ensure that only duly constituted government entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.
The Presidency said the directive reflects Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening transparency, fiscal governance, accountability and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.
