Osun Govt, Consultant Clash Over Ghost Workers Figures, Payment Claims

The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations of a cover-up in the ongoing ghost workers audit within the state public service, accusing Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd of inflating figures and engaging in subtle blackmail to force the implementation of a disputed audit report.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the government said the unusually high number of alleged ghost workers presented by the consultant necessitated a re-verification exercise, which exposed serious discrepancies in the report submitted by the firm.

According to the government, Sally Tibbot Consulting declared 8,448 workers as “unseen” and labeled 6,713 retirees as ghost retirees without making efforts to invite or contact the affected individuals to ascertain reasons for their absence, including ill-health.

This, the government said, raised concerns about the credibility and fairness of the audit process.

Following an in-depth review, the state government disclosed that out of the 8,448 workers declared unseen, 8,015 were confirmed to be active and legitimate employees, while only 433 could not be reached.

Similarly, out of 6,713 retirees tagged as ghost workers, the existence of 5,830 was confirmed, leaving just 883 retirees untraceable.

The government noted that this significantly reduced the number of actual unseen workers and retirees to about 1,316, as against the 15,161 earlier claimed by the consultant, a development which drastically affected the percentage-based fees being demanded by the firm.

It added that the payment structure in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both parties clearly states that the consultant’s fees are tied to the actual savings made by the state as a result of the verification exercise, not on speculative or inflated figures.

Responding to a letter of demand dated June 25, 2025, written by counsel to Sally Tibbot Consulting, Jiti Ogunye, SAN, the Osun State Government, through its legal representatives, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN & Co., in a reply dated July 8, 2025, proposed that payment be made based on the confirmed number of actual ghost workers, pending the conclusion of further verification.

However, the consultant’s counsel reportedly rejected the proposal in another letter dated July 23, 2025, insisting that payment be made on the initial figure of 15,161, arguing that the agreement did not envisage a re-verification exercise by the government.

The state government countered this position in a response dated August 5, 2025, reiterating that the MoU only allows payment based on actual savings to the state and affirming its right to review and verify the audit report before implementation.

The re-verification committee subsequently revealed that the total annual savings accruable to the state from the actual unseen workers amounted to N27,077,847.60, far below the N1.31 billion earlier claimed by the consultant.

Based on its findings, the committee recommended that salaries, pensions, and palliatives of confirmed unseen workers and retirees be permanently discontinued with effect from July 2025.

It also recommended that Sally Tibbot Consulting be paid N48,740,125.68, representing 159 percent of the annual gross savings, in line with the relevant provisions of the MoU.

The Osun State Government emphasized its commitment to cleaning up the state payroll but insisted it would not, in the name of reform, unjustly remove legitimate workers or endorse an audit report capable of further defrauding the state.