The Osun State Government has strongly rejected recent claims that more than 8,400 ghost workers are on its payroll, calling the figures inflated and misleading. The dispute centres on the findings of Sally Tibbot Limited, a consulting firm engaged to carry out a comprehensive staff audit and payroll validation exercise for the state’s civil and public service payroll. The government insists the firm’s report wrongly labelled legitimate employees and retirees as “ghost workers”, and has welcomed calls for Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies to review the matter.
The controversy began with a statement from Sally Tibbot Limited, which alleged that the audit identified 8,452 ghost workers drawing salaries and pensions from the Osun State government. The firm claimed that this amounted to an annual loss of about ₦13.7 billion to the state, and it urged intervention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate alleged payroll fraud.
However, the Osun State Government’s response has challenged both the methodology and the conclusions of the consulting firm. In an official statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government described the press briefing by the audit firm as a “subtle attempt to pressure the state into accepting an inflated audit report”. The statement said many of the workers flagged as “ghosts” were actually legitimate staff members and retirees, and that the consulting firm did not request proof of existence for the workers it listed.
According to the government’s own re-validation exercise, out of the 8,448 individuals the consultant labelled as ghost workers, 8,015 were confirmed as active employees. Only 433 could not be reached, the government said. This, it added, significantly reduced the number of unverified personnel compared with the audit firm’s assessment.
The state government also noted that the consulting firm was engaged in January 2023, and the exercise covered civil servants, local government workers, pensioners and staff of various state institutions, including education boards and universities. The government argued that the consultant’s findings were drawn without adequate verification, including direct contact with those alleged to be ghost workers.
Reacting to the debate, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate in Osun, Adewale Adebayo, criticised the government’s handling of the issue. He described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s response as evasive and contradictory, and urged full publication of the audit reports, re-verification findings, and payroll data to ensure transparency. Adebayo also called on the EFCC and ICPC to intervene, saying that the state deserved clear answers.
Governor Adeleke, through his spokesperson Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said the anti-graft agencies were free to review the audit report and payroll records, which he said were inherited from the previous administration of Adegboyega Oyetola. The governor emphasised that the state had not expanded its payroll and that he had refused to accept recommendations from the consultant to dismiss legitimate workers simply to meet the firm’s inflated figures. He said his administration had acted to curb potential fraud while striving to clean up the payroll system.
The governor’s statement welcomed a review by the EFCC and the ICPC, suggesting that officials from the previous administration should also be prepared to assist in any investigation. He framed the invitation as part of broader efforts to ensure accountability and transparent management of public resources.
Labour unions and affected workers have also raised concerns, saying that the allegations had unfairly damaged reputations and threatened livelihoods. Some staff reportedly declared as ghost workers have considered legal action against the consultancy for defamation.
This unfolding controversy highlights ongoing tensions over public sector payroll management, governance, and the role of external consultants in auditing government systems. Both sides have called for greater transparency, and the involvement of independent anti-corruption agencies could shape how confidence in the state’s payroll processes is restored in the lead-up to the 2026 governorship election.
