President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems following investigations that uncovered alleged fake government agencies, ghost workers and weaknesses in internal controls.
The President directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The audit will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Federal Government agencies and their administrative and internal-control structures.
The development follows a Federal Executive Council resolution reached on August 19 after investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) uncovered problems involving purported government entities and payroll systems.
According to the government, the forensic exercise is expected to determine the nature and extent of weaknesses within government systems and establish how those weaknesses may have been exploited.
The review will examine IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial-management platforms.
It will also investigate reported cases involving ghost workers and payroll irregularities, including how fictitious or ineligible individuals may have been enrolled in government systems.
Another component of the exercise will focus on Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
The government said the audit will establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal basis and the procedures through which they obtain official recognition and access to government resources.
The review will also examine procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms in an effort to identify systemic weaknesses.
The Presidency said the exercise would go beyond individual cases of alleged fraud or administrative failures, with the broader objective of strengthening government systems and closing loopholes that could facilitate abuse.
The audit will also work alongside ongoing ICPC investigations, prosecutions and recovery efforts.
The latest directive follows the discovery of alleged fictitious government structures, including a purported agency that authorities said had been operating from government premises. The development has raised wider questions about oversight and institutional controls within the Federal Government.