The Osun State Government has strongly refuted allegations made by a consulting firm, Sally Tibbot Limited, regarding the purported discovery of ghost workers worth billions of naira on the state payroll. The government described the claims as a "cheap blackmail attempt" to force a fraudulent audit report on the state.
Controversy Over Inflated Numbers
In a statement issued by the State Commissioner for Information and Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government detailed its position. It stated that the unusually high number of alleged ghost workers presented by Sally Tibbot Consulting prompted a state-led re-verification exercise. This follow-up investigation revealed extensive inflation in the figures initially reported by the firm.
The government explained that many individuals labelled as "ghost workers" by the consultant were, in fact, legitimate employees who presented themselves for verification. The state offered to provide documented proof of employment for each worker in question, but noted that the company never requested such evidence.
Payment Dispute and Allegations of Greed
The core of the disagreement centres on the payment structure. The consulting firm's fees were to be calculated as a percentage of the savings it generated for the state by removing ghost workers from the payroll. The government contends this created a perverse incentive for the firm to inflate its findings.
According to the state, Sally Tibbot initially declared 8,448 unseen workers and 6,713 ghost retirees, totalling 15,161 individuals. However, the state's re-verification committee found a drastically different reality:
- 8,015 of the alleged 8,448 "unseen" workers were confirmed as active staff.
- 5,830 of the alleged 6,713 "ghost" retirees were verified as legitimate.
- Only about 1,316 personnel (433 workers + 883 retirees) remained unverified or unreachable.
The government accused the firm of attempting to "reap where it did not sow" by grossly inflating the numbers to claim a higher fee. It also criticised the audit process, citing the consultant's high-handedness, exclusion of staff, and maltreatment of workers.
Legal Correspondence and Stalemate
The dispute escalated into a legal exchange through letters from both parties' lawyers. In a letter dated June 25, 2025, the firm's counsel, Jiti Ogunye Esq., demanded payment. The state government, through its counsel Ire Egert-Olusesi of Musibau Adetunbi SAN & Co., responded on July 8, 2025.
The state's letter insisted that payment must be based on the actual savings confirmed, not the consultant's initial inflated figures. It proposed payment for the verified 1,316 cases while further checks continued. The firm rejected this in a follow-up letter on July 23, 2025, insisting on payment for the full 15,161 figure, arguing the contract did not allow for a state re-verification.
The Osun government reiterated its stance in a final letter on August 5, 2025, directing the firm to the contract clause tying payment to actual savings.
Government's Final Position and Recommendations
The state government has firmly backed the findings of its re-verification committee. The committee reported that the actual financial gain from removing the unverified personnel was N27,077,847.60, a far cry from the N1,318,317,664.03 savings claimed by Sally Tibbot.
Based on this, the committee recommended:
- Permanently stopping the salaries, pensions, and palliatives for the confirmed unseen staff and retirees, effective July 2025.
- Paying the consultant N48,740,125.68, representing 159% of the annual gross salaries saved, as per the Memorandum of Understanding.
The Osun State Government maintains that while it is committed to cleaning the payroll, it cannot in good conscience remove legitimate employees or submit to an audit report it believes could further defraud the state. It asserts its right to review any audit report before implementation, especially one with such significant discrepancies.
