Fake agencies: Tinubu orders Forensic Audit of MDAs

President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, to lead a thorough forensic audit of Federal Government systems, encompassing the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), federal agencies, and their internal controls. This move comes following a resolution from the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, in response to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission's (ICPC) findings on fake agencies, ghost workers, and other control failures within government institutions.

The audit will consist of two interconnected components. The first will concentrate on a forensic examination of government systems, specifically IPPIS and associated payroll, personnel, pension, and financial management platforms. This investigation will delve into reported instances of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace the enrollment of fictitious or ineligible individuals, and evaluate access, identity, biometric, and bank account controls.

Furthermore, it will scrutinize the connections between IPPIS and other government platforms like GIFMIS, Remita, the Treasury Single Account, and Sub-TSA, to ascertain whether fraud resulted from system deficiencies, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties, or deliberate circumvention.

The second component of the audit will encompass all federal government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals, and other bodies. It will establish a comprehensive inventory of these entities and verify their legal basis. Additionally, it will investigate how these entities gain official recognition, budgetary allocation, correspondence privileges, office facilities, and access to government systems.

The audit will also assess governance, procurement, internal-audit, and oversight controls across government to rectify systemic weaknesses that enable irregular entities or individuals to access public resources.

President Tinubu emphasized that the audit must adhere to the highest standards of independence, professionalism, and forensic integrity. The audit team will have access to pertinent government systems and records, collaborating closely with the ICPC to ensure the review complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions, and recoveries.

The President expressed his expectation that the audit will transcend identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure. Instead, it aims to bolster the government's architecture, close systemic loopholes, enhance data verification and reconciliation, fortify accountability, and ensure that only legitimately constituted entities and eligible personnel can access government resources.