President Bola Tinubu has directed a comprehensive forensic audit of the Federal Government's payroll infrastructure and agency controls, following disclosures by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of ghost workers, fake agencies, and systemic failures in public fund management. The audit will be led by Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, and was approved by the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Audit Structure: Payroll Systems and Agency Verification
The audit is structured in two distinct parts. The first targets government payroll systems, with investigators mandated to conduct a forensic review of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and connected platforms covering payroll, personnel, pension, and financial data. The review is expected to trace how ineligible names entered the payroll, reconcile data with ICPC figures, and test whether identity, biometric, and bank account controls are functioning.
Investigators will also examine how IPPIS connects to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA), and Sub-TSA, to determine whether fund leakages stem from software vulnerabilities, weak internal processes, poor separation of duties, or deliberate manipulation.
Focus on Federal Agencies and Parastatals
The second part focuses on federal agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals, and other government bodies, according to PM News. The audit team is expected to produce a definitive inventory of all such entities, confirm their legal standing, and examine how organisations gain official recognition, budget allocations, correspondence rights, office space, and access to government systems.
Governance structures, procurement practices, internal audit functions, and oversight mechanisms will also come under review, with the goal of closing gaps that may have allowed irregular outfits or individuals to access public money.
Standards and Collaboration with ICPC
Tinubu said the audit must uphold high standards of independence and forensic integrity. The team is to receive full access to relevant systems and records, and will collaborate directly with the ICPC to ensure the findings can support ongoing investigations, prosecutions, and recovery of funds.
The Presidential directive signals a broader push to tighten accountability across the federal bureaucracy, where the ICPC's earlier findings had raised serious concerns about the integrity of personnel and financial controls at the national level.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the ICPC exposed a fake government agency that had allegedly been operating from inside one of Nigeria's most sensitive federal buildings. The commission identified the outfit as the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, describing it as an unlawful body with no legal basis to exist or function as a government agency.
