By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia
PRESIDENT BOLA Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems to uncover weaknesses exploited for fraud and strengthen controls across government institutions.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the President directed the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise, which will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Federal Government agencies, and their administration and internal controls.
The directive followed the Federal Executive Council’s resolution of August 19, 2026, in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on “fake agencies”, ghost workers and other control failures.
The exercise will establish the nature and extent of weaknesses in the Government’s control system and determine how such weaknesses have been exploited.
The review will comprise two interconnected components.
The first will focus on a forensic audit of Government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
It will 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.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the audit will also 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.
The review will determine whether fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention.
The second component will cover all Federal Government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies. It will establish a definitive inventory of such bodies and verify their legal basis.
The exercise will also examine how entities obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
It will assess governance, procurement, internal-audit and oversight controls across Government to close systemic weaknesses that could allow irregular entities or persons to access public resources.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said on August 28, 2026, that Tinubu had 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 collaborate with the ICPC to ensure that the review complements all ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recoveries.
Tinubu expects the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure by strengthening the architecture of Government, closing systemic loopholes, improving data verification and reconciliation, reinforcing accountability, and ensuring that only duly constituted entities and eligible personnel have access to Government resources.
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