Tinubu Moves To Clean Up Federal Payroll, Agency System With Forensic Audit
By JOANNA ILUSANMI
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of federal government systems following findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on ghost workers, fake agencies and other control failures.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to coordinate the exercise.
The Presidency said the audit will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, federal ministries and agencies, and the internal controls governing public resources.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, disclosed this on Friday.
He said the directive followed a Federal Executive Council resolution of 19th August 2026.
According to Onanuga, the review will determine the scale of weaknesses within government control systems and establish how individuals or entities may have exploited them.
The first phase will focus on IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
Auditors will examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud. They will also reconcile figures identified by the ICPC and trace how fictitious or ineligible persons entered government payroll systems.
The review will further examine identity, biometric and bank-account controls.
Beyond IPPIS, the audit will scrutinise its connections with other government platforms, including the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, Remita, the Treasury Single Account and Sub-Treasury Single Accounts.
The Presidency said auditors will determine whether weaknesses in those systems created opportunities for fraud.
They will also examine whether process failures, poor segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention contributed to the alleged irregularities.
The second component will extend the review to federal agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
That process will establish a definitive inventory of government entities and verify their legal foundations.
Auditors will also examine how such bodies secure official recognition and gain access to government budgets, correspondence channels, office facilities and digital systems.
The exercise will scrutinise governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight arrangements across the federal public sector.
The government hopes the review will expose systemic gaps that allow irregular entities or individuals to access public funds and government infrastructure.
President Tinubu has also directed the audit team to maintain independence, professionalism and forensic integrity throughout the exercise.
The team will receive access to relevant government records and systems.
It will also work with the ICPC to ensure that the audit complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts.
The review could therefore provide the government with a broader picture of how weaknesses in payroll and administrative systems affect public finances.
More importantly, its findings could determine whether existing controls can prevent similar abuses from recurring.
