Tinubu orders forensic audit of IPPIS, federal agencies

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, fake agencies and other control failures.

The directive was disclosed in a statement on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

Tinubu directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to coordinate the exercise, which follows a resolution of the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, based on findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The audit will investigate the extent of weaknesses in government systems and determine how such loopholes may have been exploited to facilitate fraud and other irregularities.

According to the statement, one component of the exercise will focus on IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial management systems.

It will examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC and trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled on government systems.

The audit will also scrutinise identity, biometric and bank-account controls, as well as access to the systems.

The government will further examine the connections between IPPIS and platforms including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.

The exercise is expected to determine whether identified irregularities resulted from system defects, weak processes, inadequate separation of duties or deliberate circumvention of controls.

The second component will cover federal ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.

The audit team will establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal status, while examining how they gain official recognition, receive budgetary allocations, access government facilities and obtain entry into government systems.

It will also assess procurement, governance, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across federal institutions.

The Presidency said the exercise would be conducted independently and in accordance with professional and forensic standards.

The audit team will have access to relevant government records and systems and work with the ICPC to ensure that its findings complement ongoing investigations, prosecutions and asset recovery efforts.

Tinubu said the exercise should go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud and instead address systemic weaknesses within government.

The review is expected to improve data verification and reconciliation, strengthen accountability and ensure that only legally constituted government entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.

The Presidency said the directive reflects Tinubu’s commitment to improving transparency, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.