President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a comprehensive forensic investigation into the emergence of fictitious government agencies within the Federal Government system, following findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The directive was disclosed on Wednesday by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, while briefing State House correspondents after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Oyedele said the investigation was prompted by the discovery of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which was found not to be an isolated case.
According to the minister, Tinubu has ordered a wider review of government procedures, internal controls and administrative processes to determine how fictitious agencies were able to gain recognition within the government system.
He said the forensic exercise would establish the weaknesses that allowed the development and registration of the fake entities and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
Oyedele explained that the review would also extend to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), amid concerns that fictitious agencies could potentially be linked to fake employees on the Federal Government payroll.
He said the President wanted the system thoroughly examined to ensure that government resources were not being diverted to non-existent workers or entities.
The minister also disclosed that about ₦9.495 trillion generated from subsidy savings and increased government revenue had been used to support additional salaries and allowances for civil servants.
He explained that the amount exceeded the actual savings recorded by the Federal Government from the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Oyedele further revealed that the investigation would examine how the fictitious agencies obtained administrative and Treasury Single Account (TSA) codes.
Although the entities reportedly succeeded in securing the codes and setting up accounts, he said no government funds were ultimately paid into those accounts.
He added that the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance had been directed to work with relevant institutions to address the matter from administrative, accounting and governance perspectives.
ICPC Probe Uncovers More Fake Agencies
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the ICPC investigation revealed that the issue went beyond the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Idris disclosed that investigators had identified at least two additional fictitious agencies within the government system.
He said the discovery raised broader concerns about weaknesses in the government’s administrative and accounting procedures.
According to him, Tinubu has directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Finance Minister to jointly review the relevant systems and engage professional audit firms to carry out a comprehensive forensic assessment.
The minister said the exercise was aimed at identifying and permanently closing the loopholes that made it possible for fictitious agencies to operate within the government structure.
Idris also noted that the problem might have existed before the current administration, stressing that the President was interested in determining whether similar cases occurred elsewhere in government.
He said the broader review would help strengthen government systems and prevent a repeat of what he described as a national embarrassment.
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