BREAKING: Tinubu orders audit of IPPIS to uncover fake agencies, ghost workers

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Federal Government’s systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, federal agencies and their internal control mechanisms.

Tinubu directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.

The directive followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, following findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on alleged fake agencies, ghost workers and other control failures.

The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

According to Onanuga, the audit will determine the extent of weaknesses in the government’s control systems and how they may have been exploited.

He said the exercise would comprise two interconnected components, beginning with a forensic review of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial management platforms.

“The exercise will establish the nature and extent of weaknesses in Government’s control system, and determine how such weaknesses have been exploited,” Onanuga quoted the directive as stating.

The audit 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 into government 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, Remita, the Treasury Single Account and Sub-Treasury Single Account.

The review will seek to determine whether fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of controls.

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

Onanuga said the exercise would “establish a definitive inventory of such bodies and verify their legal basis”, while examining how entities obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.