By George Omagbemi
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a comprehensive forensic investigation into government processes and internal controls following investigations that uncovered alleged fictitious government bodies and irregularities within the public payroll system.
The decision was disclosed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
According to Oyedele, the investigation will examine the systems and procedures that allowed questionable entities to exist within government, while also reviewing the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for possible ghost workers and fraudulent personnel records.
The probe followed an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) into the activities of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). The ICPC investigation reportedly uncovered additional fictitious bodies within the government system.
President Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Finance, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and other relevant agencies to work together on the investigation, which will cover administrative, accounting and governance processes.
The government said the exercise is intended to determine how such irregularities occurred, prevent their recurrence and strengthen internal controls.
The development comes days after the ICPC disclosed that it had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and uncovered cases in which individuals allegedly inserted family members into government payrolls.
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