President Bola Ahmed 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.
Drivetvnews gathered that the directive was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the exercise will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Federal Government agencies and their administrative and internal control structures.
The directive followed a resolution reached by the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, after findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) uncovered issues involving “fake agencies,” ghost workers and other control weaknesses.
The audit is expected to determine the nature and extent of weaknesses within government systems and establish how such loopholes may have been exploited.
The exercise will have two major components.
The first will involve a forensic examination 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 the figures identified by the ICPC and trace how fictitious or ineligible individuals were enrolled on government payrolls.
The audit will also scrutinise access controls, identity verification, biometric systems and bank-account controls to identify possible weaknesses that may have facilitated fraud.
In addition, auditors will examine the links between IPPIS and other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
The review will seek to establish whether identified irregularities resulted from system defects, procedural failures, poor separation of duties or deliberate attempts to bypass established controls.
The second component will focus on all Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other public institutions.
The exercise will establish a definitive list of government bodies and verify the legal basis for their existence.
It will also examine how such entities receive official recognition, secure budgetary allocations, obtain correspondence privileges and office facilities, and gain access to government systems and resources.
Governance structures, procurement processes, internal audit mechanisms and oversight controls across government will also be reviewed.
The objective, according to the statement, is to identify and close systemic loopholes that could allow irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
President Tinubu directed that the audit be conducted with the highest level of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity.
The audit team will be granted access to relevant government systems and records and will work with the ICPC to ensure that the exercise complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and asset recovery efforts.
