President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and other federal government systems to uncover ghost workers, payroll fraud and other weaknesses that may be draining public funds. MonitoringFederal Directives
The directive was given to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who will oversee and coordinate the exercise.
According to a statement issued on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the decision followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its August 19, 2026 meeting.
The council acted after findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) revealed alleged weaknesses in government control systems, including the existence of “fake agencies” and ghost workers.
What will the audit cover?
The forensic exercise will examine government personnel, payroll and financial management systems to establish the extent of the reported irregularities and determine how they occurred.
The first component will focus specifically on IPPIS and its links with other government platforms responsible for payroll, personnel, pensions and financial management.
Investigators will review reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, including figures identified by the ICPC.
They will also examine how fictitious or ineligible individuals were added to government payrolls and whether weaknesses in identity verification, biometrics, bank accounts and system access made the fraud possible.
The audit will extend beyond IPPIS to its interaction with the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA.
“The audit will investigate reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled and scrutinise access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls.
“It 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,” he said.
ICPC had uncovered ghost workers
The presidential directive comes shortly after the ICPC revealed how individuals allegedly manipulated government payroll systems to register relatives and collect multiple salaries.
Musa Aliyu, ICPC chairman, disclosed the findings while speaking at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limited.
According to Aliyu, one official enrolled 14 family members on the government payroll as ghost workers.
“We discovered that one person enrolled 14 members of his family,” he said.
He added that another individual registered his wife, children and other relatives and was receiving 13 salaries.
“Another person enrolled his wife, his daughter, his son, and others and was receiving 13 salaries,” Aliyu said.
About 900 suspected ghost workers identified
The ICPC chairman said the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names to allow those affected to demonstrate that they were legitimate government employees.
He said the investigation lasted about a year and uncovered several methods allegedly used to manipulate the payroll system.
In some cases, he said, fictitious employees had names and email addresses appearing on official records, while the bank accounts attached to those records belonged to other individuals.
“We spent one year, one single year, on ghost workers,” Aliyu said.
When they insert their names, you will see their name in the payroll. You will see their email. But when you check the account number, you will see the name of the person.”
Government concerned about wider financial losses
The ICPC warned that payroll fraud could extend beyond salaries because fictitious employees may also become beneficiaries of government pension schemes, mortgages, housing funds and health insurance.
“Because, you know, once there is a ghost worker, there is ghost pension, there is ghost mortgage, there is ghost housing fund, there is ghost health insurance,” Aliyu said.
He also disclosed that the commission recovered more than N24 billion in suspected ghost workers’ pension funds in 2024.
Why IPPIS is being scrutinised
IPPIS was introduced by the Federal Government in 2006 as part of efforts to improve personnel records, payroll management and control over public-sector wage expenditure.
The system was designed to provide more reliable information on government employees and help the government manage staff costs and budgeting.
However, the latest findings by the ICPC have raised questions about whether weaknesses within IPPIS and connected systems have allowed fraudulent entries to remain undetected.
The forensic audit ordered by Tinubu is therefore expected to provide a clearer picture of how such weaknesses were exploited and what measures are required to prevent further losses.
Receive Alerts On:
Facebook: METRODAILYNG Twitter: @METRODAILYNG
REACH THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME WITH METRO DAILY NIGERIA. ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO USERS ONLINE TODAY. KINDLY CONTACT US FOR YOUR ADVERTS OR PUBLICATIONS AT INFO@METRODAILYNG.COM