The Federal Executive Council has ordered a comprehensive forensic investigation into government processes and internal control weaknesses to identify what went wrong, prevent a recurrence and strengthen governance systems.
FILE: President Bola Tinubu presides over the Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa Abuja on November 14, 2024. Credit: State House/ @aonanuga1956
Following the investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) into the activities of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has ordered a comprehensive forensic investigation into government processes, procedures and internal control weaknesses that allowed such entities to exist.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this while speaking after a Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, saying investigations by the ICPC had uncovered additional fictitious bodies within the system.
He said the comprehensive forensic investigation would determine what went wrong, prevent a recurrence and strengthen governance systems.
As part of the effort, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and other relevant agencies to work together to tackle the problem holistically, covering its administrative, accounting and governance dimensions.
The review will extend to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), on the premise that where fake agencies exist, fake employees are likely to be found.
The minister warned that ghost workers and bogus institutions undermine the government’s ability to pay genuine civil servants better wages.
