- According to the governor, efforts by his administration have focused on blocking potential fraud while cleaning up the system
- Adeleke, however, reiterated that his government neither inflated the workforce nor altered the payroll structure it inherited
- He urged officials of the former government to be prepared for any investigative exercise arising from the audit report
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has thrown his weight behind calls for an independent review of allegations that thousands of ghost workers were embedded in the state’s payroll, insisting that the records in question predate his administration.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the governor, reacting to claims by forensic audit firm Sally Tibbot, said anti-graft agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are welcome to scrutinise the payroll documents inherited from the previous government led by Adegboyega Oyetola.
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In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke maintained that the payroll under scrutiny was not created or modified by his administration, stressing that any findings would reflect personnel records left behind by his predecessor.
He urged officials of the former government to be prepared for any investigative exercise arising from the audit report.
The governor’s response followed reports that Sally Tibbot accused the Osun State Government of paying an estimated ₦13.7 billion annually to alleged ghost workers.
The firm claimed the figure emerged from a detailed forensic audit and payroll verification exercise, which it said uncovered widespread irregularities within the civil and public service system.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the firm’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, disclosed that as of January 2023, Osun’s monthly payroll stood at over ₦4.48 billion, covering 37,456 workers and 17,918 pensioners.
She added that after verification, the payroll was reduced to about ₦3.34 billion monthly, accounting for 29,004 confirmed staff and the same number of pensioners.
Adeleke, however, reiterated that his government neither inflated the workforce nor altered the payroll structure it inherited, arguing that the audit essentially reviewed records from the previous administration.
He added that his refusal to act on recommendations that could have unfairly affected genuine workers showed his commitment to transparency and fairness.
According to the governor, efforts by his administration have focused on blocking potential fraud while cleaning up the system, rather than exploiting the process for personal or political advantage.
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