Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has officially invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate a contentious staff audit report that alleges the existence of 8,452 "ghost workers" on the state’s payroll.
The controversy erupted after Sally Tibbot Limited, a forensic audit firm engaged by the state, claimed its investigation uncovered a massive payroll fraud costing the government approximately ₦13.7 billion annually. The firm’s Executive Vice Chairman, Sa'adat Bakrin-Ottun, stated during a press briefing in Lagos that the state’s monthly payroll should be ₦3.34 billion rather than the ₦4.48 billion recorded in January 2023.
Governor Adeleke, responding through his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, dismissed the findings as "inflated" and "suspicious". He emphasised that the payroll records under review were those inherited from the previous administration of Gboyega Oyetola. Adeleke maintained that his government has not expanded the personnel structure since taking office in November 2022 and challenged the anti-graft agencies to scrutinise the legacy records.
"We welcome the call on the EFCC and the ICPC to review the audit report submitted by Sally Tibbot. Let the Oyetola administration officials brace up for the exercise," Adeleke stated. He further argued that he should be commended for refusing to implement the consultant's recommendation to lay off thousands of workers, describing the move as a protection of legitimate civil servants.
The Osun State Government has characterised the consultant’s claims as a form of "blackmail" intended to secure higher consultancy fees, which were reportedly tied to the total savings identified. According to the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, a subsequent re-verification exercise conducted by the state revealed that many of those labelled as "ghosts" were actually genuine employees.
While the government admitted to roughly 1,316 workers being "unascertainable", it found the consultant’s figure of 8,452 to be a gross exaggeration.
