You’ve probably heard whispers about “ghost workers” in Nigeria’s civil service—but this isn’t folklore. These are real, paid employees on paper who no longer do an ounce of work. Many have relocated abroad under the “japa” trend—yet continue receiving federal salaries. Sound unfair? That’s precisely the outrage triggering bold action from President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In April 2025, the Office of the Accountant‑General of the Federation (OAGF), under the directive of Tinubu, launched a sweeping personnel audit across all federal ministries, departments, and agencies. The goal is clear: identify and remove anyone on the payroll who isn’t actively contributing—including those living overseas—and sanction those responsible for enabling the fraud.
What’s different this time? It’s not just a routine check but a service-wide update of nominal rolls, requiring each agency to submit authenticated staff lists—digitally and physically—by May 2, 2025. Failure to comply results in automatic classification as a ghost worker and salary suspension. And yes—the original 2023 directive also mandates that emigrated workers refund unlawfully collected salaries, with supervisors facing disciplinary consequences.
What you’re reading today isn’t hearsay—it’s a government crackdown with specific dates, named officials, and legal teeth. Over the next sections, we’ll unpack the roots of ghost-worker fraud, examine the mechanics of the audit, and explore pathways for true, lasting reform.
Background – The Ghost Workers & “Japa” Phenomenon
Let’s get to the heart of the matter: Who are these “ghost workers”? And why does the “japa” craze make this worse?
A ghost worker is someone listed on the civil service payroll—drawing a salary from public funds—but who doesn’t actually work. This could be someone who’s deceased, retired, transferred, absent without leave, or even completely fabricated. Some receive double salaries via fake identities, others continue to earn allowances they don’t deserve.
The consequences are alarming: in 2016, a federal audit uncovered around 24,000 ghost workers, saving over N2 billion in one swoop. And in 2014, more than 60,000 names were removed—only part of a chronic problem affecting both salaries and pensions.
Part of the challenge is systemic. Weak oversight and manual processes open the door to abuse—fraud diamonds at all four corners: incentive, opportunity, capability, and rationalization.
Then came “japa”, the exodus of professionals—teachers, doctors, civil servants—abroad in search of greener pastures. Some leave for good, others temporarily, but many never formally resign. Instead, they quietly collect salaries from both abroad and the payroll at home.
This isn’t theoretical. The OAGF memo of April 2025, signed by Director Dauda Abdulhamid, specifically targets this group: it orders a “Service‑wide Nominal Roll Update and personnel audit … across all MDAs”. Nigeria’s civil service has grown bloated, carrying tens of thousands of “ghost” names—each draining critical resources and eroding public trust.
In short:
- The “japa” wave has exacerbated ghost-worker fraud.
- Weak systems and collusion enable payroll abuses.
- Billions of naira are lost each year to non-existent employees.
- Repeated past audits uncovered problems, but root causes remain untreated.
Understanding this landscape isn’t optional—it’s essential. With ghost workers entrenched and migration accelerating, it’s clear why Tinubu’s current audit isn’t just timely—it’s absolutely critical.
Presidential Directive & Ongoing Audit
This isn’t a spontaneous purge—it’s rooted in President Bola Tinubu’s clear, unwavering commitment to tackle phantom payroll fraud.
In 2023, Tinubu ordered a full-scale audit of the federal civil service following disturbing reports that civil servants, after migrating abroad under the “japa” wave, still received public salaries. His directive was firm and multifaceted:
- Emigrated civil servants must refund any salary drawn after leaving the country.
- Supervisors and department heads who allowed the fraud to continue are to face disciplinary action.
- Tinubu underscored: “No government can afford to pay salaries to those who are not rendering services.” His stance was anchored in accountability, warning anyone complicit would be held to account.
Fast forward to April 2025, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), led by Director of Administration Dauda Abdulhamid, formalized the plan with a circular to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs):
- It announced a “Service-wide Nominal Roll Update and comprehensive personnel audit” spanning headquarters, Pay Offices, and MDAs under OAGF oversight. Officials were directed to fill out and return the detailed staff listing template, together with scanned authentication sheets, digitally and physically.
- Deadline: All records must be submitted by May 2, 2025—with stern warning: failure equals automatic ghost-worker classification, leading to salary suspension.
The memo also sharply focused on department-level responsibility:
- “All desk officers must ensure compliance with the referenced circular…”
- Finance directors, internal audit units, and other officials were tasked with verifying each staffer’s presence and activity—a clear message that both employees and management share the consequences.
This effort garners political support across the board. While commentators condemn past attempts as superficial, they acknowledge this purge might signal real change—if it translates into follow-through and results.
This isn’t a vague plan—it’s structured, calendared, and backed by real administrative weight.
Audit Structure & Mechanism
Let’s break down how the audit is structured and how it’s being executed—because the success of any initiative lies in its design and follow-through.
At the core of this effort is the Service-wide Nominal Roll Update, designed to build a centralized, accurate staff database. The OAGF memo outlines:
- A standardized template capturing employee information (IPPIS number, file number, designation, location, etc.).
- MDAs must complete the template in Excel and include a scanned authentication sheet, certifying the staff presence.
- Submission via email to the OAGF by May 2, 2025. Non-compliance means automatic classification as ghost worker and salary suspension.
This is not a casual data collection—it’s a legally binding, structured exercise with exact formatting and strict deadlines.
The audit spans the whole service structure:
- Headquarters, Federal Pay Offices, and all MDAs under OAGF coordination.
- Responsibility is shared across units:
- Directors of Finance and Internal Audit ensure data integrity.
- Desk Officers collect and submit data.
- Human Resources and Payroll Staff verify the authenticity of each personnel entry.
The message is clear: accountability begins at the department level.
Each submission must verify:
- Actual presence—location, official station, and active service.
- IPPIS compatibility—each staff must match across payroll records.
- Digital and physical verification—signed affidavits and scanned signature pages are required.
- Cross-referencing with other databases to detect anomalies and duplication.
It’s a fully integrated verification—a far cry from past, piecemeal audits.
From April 16, 2025, circulars were sent out. By early May, submissions began. By the end of the deadline, unverified staff faced salary suspension. The AGF’s office then escalates ghost worker cases for possible prosecution or refund claims.
This mechanism isn’t symbolic—it’s a highly coordinated, deadline-driven push. It emphasizes collaboration across units, data integrity, and no escape routes.
Accountability and Sanctions
This is where intentions turn into consequences: the government isn’t just cleaning house—it’s enforcing accountability with teeth.
President Tinubu’s directive is explicit: any civil servant residing abroad while continuing to draw a Nigerian salary must refund all monies received since departure. This requirement was reaffirmed via the OAGF memo in April 2025, emphasizing refunds as core to the audit’s integrity.
The government isn’t limiting sanctions to ghost workers alone. It is also disciplining supervisors and department heads who negligently—or deliberately—oversee fraudulent payroll activity:
- Tinubu warns these officials must be “held accountable” and properly “punished” for aiding and abetting fraud.
What kind of actions await those caught?
- Financial sanctions: full repayment of unearned salary.
- Administrative discipline: sanctions against HR staff, directors of finance, and internal audit units who failed to flag or stopped abuses.
- Salary suspension: unverified staff lose pay—and fast—via enforcement of automatic ghost-worker classification.
- Declassification: some departments have already removed thousands of ghost workers. Jigawa State alone removed 6,348 ghost workers recently.
This section makes it personal: you broke the rules, you’re paying the price—and so is your manager.
Wider Context & Critiques
This isn’t Tinubu’s first rodeo. Ghost workers have plagued Nigeria’s public payroll for decades—across federal, state, and local government levels.
In 2016, a federal audit revealed approximately 50,000 ghost workers, saving around ₦200 billion annually. State-level examples include 24,000 detected in Kaduna in 2017, 8,000 in Kogi in 2018, and 22,500 in Borno in 2021.
Even with digital tools like IPPIS, biometric verification, and BVN integration, ghost workers persist—a testament to systemic weaknesses in verification and internal controls.
Ghost payrolls aren’t just administrative oversights—they’re symptoms of deeply embedded governance issues. They arise when individuals with incentive, opportunity, capability, and rationalization exploit fragile systems. Collusion is common—ghost names enter the system with help from HR staff, supervisors, and finance officers. The problem often migrates into pension schemes, growing as ghost names carry over into retirement.
Many analysts argue that strategy must go deeper than periodic audits:
- Digital identity systems with biometric verification and BVN linkage throughout payroll are essential.
- A complete cultural transformation is needed—promoting merit, integrity, and public service ethos over patronage and bribery.
- Truly effective internal audits and governance mechanisms must function independently—not serve as puppets to political interests.
Without embedding these reforms, audits risk being recurring, costly, and political exercises with little follow-through.
Long-Term Solutions & Digital Reform
The IPPIS, backed by biometric and Bank Verification Number (BVN) linkage, has already made a tangible difference. It removed approximately 70,000 ghost workers, saving about ₦220 billion and trimming the civil service to roughly 720,000 active employees.
IPPIS and BVN tie salaries to unique, verified identities and drastically reduce fraud.
Experts recommend:
- Full MDA integration into IPPIS.
- Mandatory quarterly internal and semi-annual external payroll audits.
- Investments in cybersecurity, ERP training, and a culture shift promoting transparency.
Strong enforcement demands institutional safeguards. Agencies like the EFCC must be empowered to pursue and prosecute payroll fraud cases tied to ghost workers. Whistleblower protections ensure insiders can safely report irregularities without fear of reprisal.
Finally, the purge must translate into public value:
- Funds recovered from refunds and suspensions should be channeled into healthcare, education, or infrastructure.
- A public dashboard can track recovered sums, allocations, and impact—building public confidence.
Final Word
What started as a whisper about phantom names on government payrolls has transformed into a bold, disciplined strike by the Tinubu administration. By tying precise deadlines—like May 2, 2025—to a structured nominal‐roll update, and enforcing real consequences—from salary suspension to mandatory refunds and discipline for complicit officials—this isn’t just symbolic. It is a high-stakes reckoning.
Yet, the real test lies beyond removing ghost names. Those steps are promising—but they aren’t enough. Without:
- Full integration of IPPIS, BVN, and biometrics across all MDAs,
- A routine audit schedule,
- A renewed digital governance culture,
- Independent oversight and whistleblower safeguards,
- And transparent tracking of recovered funds—
This purge risks becoming another temporary fix.
The real opportunity? This audit could mark the beginning—not the end—of sweeping reform. If the recovered revenues make their way into hospitals, schools, and roads, and if civil servants feel their work is respected and their integrity protected, the gains won’t evaporate with the next cycle.
Ultimately, this isn’t just about chasing ghost salaries—it’s about rebuilding public trust, restoring fiscal discipline, and modernizing Nigeria’s civil service. The numbers are stark, the administrative machinery is in motion, and the political will is there. What matters now is follow-through. And if Nigeria sustains this momentum, this could be the turning point—from a bloated, mistrusted bureaucracy to one that’s lean, accountable, and truly public-serving.
