President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems, including the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), federal agencies and internal control mechanisms, as part of efforts to uncover fraud and strengthen accountability.

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The directive was announced on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, will coordinate the exercise. The audit follows a Federal Executive Council resolution of August 19, 2026, prompted by findings from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning alleged “fake agencies,” ghost workers and other weaknesses in government systems.

The audit will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, including how fictitious or ineligible individuals were enrolled on government payrolls. It will also examine identity, biometric, bank-account and access controls, while reconciling figures identified by the ICPC.

Government financial and payroll platforms including IPPIS, GIFMIS, Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA will also be reviewed to determine whether fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, weak segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention of established controls.

The second component will cover federal ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies. The exercise will seek to establish a definitive inventory of government entities and verify their legal status, governance structures, procurement systems, internal audit mechanisms and access to public resources.

Onanuga said the audit team would have access to relevant government records and collaborate with the ICPC to complement ongoing investigations, prosecutions and asset-recovery efforts.

According to the Presidency, Tinubu wants the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud by closing systemic loopholes, improving data verification, strengthening accountability and ensuring that only legitimate government entities and eligible personnel have access to public resources.