By NEWSCOUNT Desk
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), federal agencies and their administrative and internal control mechanisms.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise, which followed the resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 19, 2026, after findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on fake agencies, ghost workers and other control failures in government systems.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the audit will establish the nature and extent of weaknesses in the government’s control system and determine how such weaknesses have been exploited.
Onanuga said the exercise would comprise two interconnected components, with the first focusing on a forensic audit of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial management platforms.
He said the audit would examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled and review access, identity, biometric and bank account controls.
The statement further stated that the exercise would examine the interfaces between IPPIS and other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
According to Onanuga, the review will determine whether identified fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established controls.
The second component of the exercise will cover all Federal Government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
Onanuga said the audit would establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal basis, while examining how government bodies obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
He further stated that the exercise would assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight controls across the Federal Government to identify systemic weaknesses that could allow irregular entities or individuals to gain access to public resources.
President Tinubu directed that the exercise 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 recovery efforts.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to ensure that the audit is carried out in line with the FEC resolution and that its findings are properly documented for further action by the relevant government authorities.
