By Benny News Hub
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Federal Government’s payroll and administrative systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), following concerns over ghost workers, fake agencies and other control failures.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive follows a resolution of the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, which came after findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning alleged ghost workers, fake agencies and weaknesses within government control systems.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the audit will seek to determine the extent of the weaknesses and establish how they may have been exploited to access public resources.
IPPIS, Payroll and Government Payment Systems Under Review
The first component of the exercise will focus on IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
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 may have been enrolled into government systems.
It will also examine identity, biometric and bank-account verification controls, as well as access to the relevant systems.
The review will extend to the relationship between IPPIS and other government platforms, including GIFMIS, Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA, to determine whether irregularities resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established procedures.
Fake Government Agencies Also Under Scrutiny
The second component will cover Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
The exercise is expected to establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal basis.
It will also examine how organisations obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, government correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
According to the Presidency, governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms will also be reviewed to identify and close loopholes that could allow irregular entities or individuals to benefit from public resources.
Tinubu Wants Systemic Reforms
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 records and systems and will work with the ICPC to ensure that the exercise complements existing investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts.
The Presidency said the objective goes beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure.
It is also intended to strengthen government systems, improve data verification and reconciliation, reinforce accountability and ensure that only legally constituted government entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.
The development is part of the Tinubu administration's broader push to strengthen transparency, fiscal governance and institutional accountability across the Federal Government.
And as Nigerians watch the exercise unfold, one question will naturally be on many lips: just how many “ghosts” are hiding inside the Federal Government's payroll system?
Benny News Hub will follow the outcome of the audit as further details emerge.
