The Osun State Government has rejected claims by Sally Tibbot Limited that 8,452 workers on the state payroll were “ghost workers,” insisting that a re-validation exercise revealed only 1,316 unseen employees and pensioners.
In a response to the consulting firm, the government described the press briefing by Sally Tibbot Limited as a subtle attempt to pressure the state into accepting an inflated audit report.
The government in a statement by Kolapo Alimi, the commissioner for information and public enlightenment said many of the workers flagged as “ghosts” by the firm were legitimate employees and retirees, and that the company had neither requested proof of their existence nor accepted payment based on the overstated figures.
The firm, hired in January 2023 to conduct a staff audit, had claimed that Osun State was paying ghost workers an annual sum of ₦13,716,914,129.28.
Sally Tibbot Consulting had declared 8,448 workers as ghost retirees, a conclusion the government said was reached without efforts to call the affected persons to ascertain reasons for their absence.
The state government confirmed 8,015 out of the 8,448 workers as active staff, with only 433 found to be unreachable.
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Reacting to the controversy, Adewale Adebayo, Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate in Osun described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s defence as evasive and contradictory.
According to Adebayo, “This response does not clear the government, it exposes it. Instead of transparently addressing the core findings of the audit, the government has chosen to weaponise civil servants and shift blame to the very consultants it hired.”
Adebayo challenged the government to publish all audit reports, re-verification findings, and payroll data, and then urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to intervene in the interest of transparency.
He also alleged that the governor’s defence was politically motivated, aimed at protecting ghost workers who could influence the 2026 governorship election.
Meanwhile, the. Governor Adeleke welcomed the call for EFCC and ICPC to review the audit report.
The governor in a statement by Mallam Rasheed Olawale, his spokesperson said the anti-graft agencies are free to review the audit report, adding that “What they will be checking and reviewing was the inherited payroll and personnel list from the Oyetola’s administration”.
He stated that “Our administration did not and has not expanded the personnel and payroll structures inherited from the last administration. Moreover, what was audited was the payroll and personnel structure under Oyetola’s administration.
The governor said he should be commended for not accepting the recommendations of the consultant to lay off legitimate workers for the consultant’s personal gain, pointing out that “we stop likely fraud even while pushing to clean up the system.
Adeleke added, “We therefore welcome the call on the EFCC and the ICPC to review the audit report submitted by Sally Tibbot. Let the Oyetola administration officials braze up for the exercise.”
