Osun APC Demands Probe Into N13 Billion Payroll Fraud Allegations

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has called for an investigation into alleged payroll fraud involving over N13 billion under the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke. According to a press statement signed by Kola Olabisi, the party’s Director of Media and Information, a forensic audit of the state civil service uncovered payments to thousands of non-existent workers.

The audit, conducted by SALLY TIBBOT Consulting Limited, identified 8,452 alleged ghost workers on the state payroll, resulting in annual payments of more than N13 billion. The firm’s legal counsel, Jiti Ogunye, disclosed that the audit found the January 2023 payroll for mainstream workers and pensioners stood at N4.48 billion, based on payments made to 37,456 workers and 17,918 pensioners. However, following a comprehensive staff audit, payroll reengineering, and validation exercise, the genuine monthly payroll was revised to N3.34 billion, with an actual workforce of 29,004 staff and 17,918 pensioners.

The exercise, conducted between June 2022 and April 2023, resulted in alleged monthly savings of N1.14 billion, translating to about N13.7 billion annually for the Osun State Government. Despite submitting its full report to the governor on June 27, 2024, and publicly presenting the findings and recommendations, the firm claimed it had yet to receive a response. Instead, the state government carried out a revalidation exercise to review the report.

The Osun APC has urged the Nigeria Police to investigate the alleged threats received by members of the consulting firm’s management, who insisted on the implementation of the audit recommendations. The party also called on statutory anti-corruption agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to examine the claims surrounding the reported N13 billion payroll payments.

In response, Governor Adeleke welcomed the call for an investigation, stating that the EFCC and ICPC were at liberty to examine the report and the processes behind it. The state government also dismissed the allegations of ghost workers, describing the company’s recent press briefing as an attempt to blackmail the government into accepting a disputed audit report. The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the unusually high number of alleged ghost workers presented by the consultant necessitated a re-verification exercise, which revealed significant inflation in the figures originally submitted.