Osun State government denies claims of payroll fraud and ghost workers, says re-verification confirms all listed employees are legitimate.

The Osun State government has dismissed allegations of payroll fraud and ghost workers raised by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd, describing the claims as an attempt to pressure the government into accepting a disputed audit report.

The consulting firm had claimed that 8,452 ghost workers were allegedly included in the Osun State payroll, leading to an estimated annual financial loss of N13,716,914,129.28. The claim was made public by the firm’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, through its legal counsel, Jiti Ogunye, during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat in Lagos.

Bakrin-Ottun stated that the figure was the result of a comprehensive forensic audit and payroll validation exercise conducted for the state, which she said uncovered widespread payroll irregularities.

Reacting to the report, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the government conducted a re-verification of the payroll after the claims were made. The exercise reportedly confirmed that all individuals labeled as “ghost workers” by the consulting firm are legitimate employees on the state payroll.

The government emphasized its readiness to provide documentary evidence verifying the existence of the affected workers if required. Alimi further affirmed the state’s commitment to maintaining a clean and accurate payroll, insisting that legitimate employees would not be unjustly removed and that fraudulent audit reports would not be implemented.

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