A forensic audit firm has accused the Osun State Government of covering up a ₦13.7bn annual payroll fraud involving thousands of ghost workers
Audit Firm Alleges ₦13.7bn Payroll Fraud Cover-Up by Osun Govt
A forensic audit firm, Sally Tibbott Consulting Limited, has accused the Osun State Government of allegedly covering up a ₦13.7 billion annual payroll fraud uncovered during a comprehensive audit of the state’s civil and public service payroll system.
At a press briefing in Lagos on Friday, the firm’s solicitor, Jiti Ogunye, disclosed that Sally Tibbott Consulting was engaged by the Osun State Government in April 2023 to verify and re-engineer the payroll structure across the state civil service, local governments, pensioners, SUBEB, TESCOM, and state-owned tertiary institutions.
According to Ogunye, despite submitting its final report and recommendations, the government has failed to implement the findings.
“Our demand is that the state government must implement the report. If anti-corruption agencies fail to act, we will petition them, and if necessary, go to court,” Ogunye said.
Audit Uncovers 8,452 Ghost Workers
The Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Ms. Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, revealed that the forensic audit uncovered 8,452 ghost workers fraudulently inserted into the state payroll.
She explained that before the audit, Osun State’s payroll stood at ₦4.48 billion monthly, covering 37,456 workers and 17,918 pensioners. However, after biometric and data verification, the legitimate payroll reduced to ₦3.34 billion monthly, accounting for 29,004 verified staff and the same number of pensioners.
This adjustment, she said, resulted in savings of ₦1.14 billion monthly and ₦13.72 billion annually.
Unpaid Contract, Alleged Discrediting Exercise
Sally Tibbott Consulting further alleged that it spent over ₦600 million executing the exercise, deploying 130 personnel over 12 months, but has yet to be paid its professional fees.
The firm accused the Osun State Government of conducting what it described as a “phony re-verification exercise” aimed at discrediting its audit findings.
While the state government reportedly claimed that most of the identified ghost workers were later verified as legitimate staff or retirees—leaving only 1,316 untraceable names—the firm dismissed the assertion.
The claim, according to the firm, is “false, misleading and defamatory.”
Call for EFCC, ICPC Investigation
Sally Tibbott Consulting called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to urgently investigate the matter.
“Our integrity is on the line, and so is the future of public funds in Osun State. The people deserve accountability and transparency,” the firm stated.
As of the time of filing this report, the Osun State Government had not issued an official response to the allegations.
