President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Federal Government’s payroll systems and federal agencies following findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on alleged ghost workers, questionable entities and weaknesses in government controls.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee the exercise. The directive follows a decision reached at the Federal Executive Council meeting held on August 19, 2026.
The audit is expected to examine government payroll structures, personnel records, financial systems and the institutional framework through which federal agencies operate.
A major component of the exercise will focus on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), alongside related personnel, pension and financial management platforms.
The forensic team is expected to investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll irregularities, reconcile the figures identified by the ICPC and determine how individuals who were allegedly ineligible gained access to the Federal Government payroll.
Investigators will also assess the effectiveness of identity verification, biometric authentication and bank-account controls used to validate government employees and process their salaries.
Another key area will be the interaction between IPPIS and other government financial platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
The review will seek to determine whether identified weaknesses resulted from technical deficiencies, inadequate procedures, poor segregation of duties or deliberate attempts to circumvent established controls.
Beyond payroll systems, the forensic audit will extend to federal ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government institutions.
The exercise will seek to establish an authoritative database of federal government entities while verifying their legal foundations and official status.
Investigators will examine how such bodies secure government recognition, obtain budgetary allocations, establish offices, communicate officially and gain access to government financial and administrative systems.
Governance arrangements, procurement procedures, internal audit mechanisms and oversight structures will also come under scrutiny.
The Federal Government is expected to use the findings to identify loopholes that may have allowed improperly constituted entities or individuals to benefit from public funds.
President Tinubu has directed that the exercise be conducted with strong standards of independence, transparency and forensic integrity. The audit team is expected to have access to relevant government records and systems and collaborate with the ICPC.
The collaboration is intended to ensure that the findings can support ongoing investigations, potential prosecutions and efforts to recover public funds where wrongdoing is established.
The latest directive signals a broader effort by the Tinubu administration to strengthen payroll management, improve accountability and tighten controls around public resources.
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If fully implemented, the forensic review could provide the Federal Government with a clearer picture of weaknesses within its payroll and agency-management systems while helping to prevent future leakages of public funds.
