Osun Government Hits Back at Payroll Allegations in Ghost Workers Saga, Stands by Re-Verification Results

Table of Contents

• Allegations of Ghost Workers
• Government Response
• Verification Process
• Consultant Fees and Payment
• Conclusion

The Osun State Government has rejected claims made by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd. regarding a supposed cover-up of ghost workers within the state public service.

The state government characterized the company's recent press conference as an attempt to coerce the government into accepting a disputed audit report.

According to information gathered by DAILY POST, the forensic audit firm, SALLY TIBBOT Consulting Limited, alleged that the Osun State Government had added 8,452 ghost workers to its payroll, leading to an annual financial loss of N13,716,914,129.28.

This allegation was made public on Friday by the firm's Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, who spoke through legal counsel, Jiti Ogunye, during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat in Lagos.

Bakrin-Ottun claimed that these figures were derived from a comprehensive forensic audit and payroll validation conducted for the Osun State Government, which purportedly revealed widespread payroll fraud within the state's civil and public service.

In response, Kolapo Alimi, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, issued a statement from Osogbo on Saturday, asserting that the unusually high number of alleged ghost workers reported by the consultant warranted a re-verification exercise, which uncovered significant inflation in the originally submitted figures.

The government stated, “The re-verification indicated that many individuals categorized as ghost workers by the consultant were, in fact, legitimate employees who later appeared and were confirmed on the state payroll.”

“The re-verification exercise surprisingly revealed extensive inflation of the supposed number of ghost workers; those previously declared non-existent were verified as genuine staff of the state government.”

The government expressed its willingness to provide documentary evidence of the affected workers' existence if required, but noted that the consulting firm neither requested such proof nor submitted an acceptance letter for payment based on the 1,316 workers ultimately identified as unseen.

It pointed out that the situation raised suspicions, as the consultant’s fees were linked to the amount of money saved for the state, which the government argued incentivized inflated claims.

“The company’s overbearing approach, open exclusion of staff during the audit process, and deliberate mistreatment of workers characterized the entire exercise,” the statement continued.

While reiterating its commitment to rectifying the payroll, the government emphasized that it could not in good faith remove legitimate workers or implement an audit report that could further defraud the state.

The government explained that “gaps, verifiable lapses, and repeated disputes during the audit process necessitated the establishment of a verification committee before acting on the consultant’s report.”

Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd had previously declared 8,448 workers as unseen and 6,713 retirees as ghost retirees, conclusions the government asserted were reached without inviting the affected individuals to explain their absence.

After a thorough review, the government confirmed that “8,015 of the 8,448 workers were active employees, while only 433 were found to be unreachable.”

“Likewise, out of the 6,713 retirees declared unseen, 5,830 were confirmed to exist, with 883 remaining unreachable after verification.”

This process significantly reduced the actual count of unseen workers and retirees to approximately 1,316, far below the 15,161 initially claimed by the consultant, which greatly affected the percentage-based consultancy fee.

Additionally, in response to a demand letter dated June 25, 2025, from the firm's counsel, Jiti Ogunye, the government’s counsel, Mrs. Ire Egert-Olusesi, stated that payment must be strictly based on actual savings realized from the exercise.

The government proposed payment based on the verified figure of about 1,316 workers while further verification continued, a position that was rejected by the consultant in a subsequent letter dated July 23, 2025.

Reaffirming its position, the government stated that the agreement between both parties clearly stipulated that payment should be tied to actual savings, a stance reiterated in a letter dated August 5, 2025.

Commissioner Alimi indicated that the government stands by the recommendations of its re-verification committee, which includes the cessation of salaries and pensions for unseen personnel starting July 2025 and payment of ₦48.74 million to the consultant in accordance with the memorandum of understanding.