The Osun State Government has strongly refuted allegations made by a consulting firm, Sally Tibbot Limited, regarding the purported discovery of ghost workers within the state's public service. The government described the claims as a "cheap blackmail attempt" to force a fraudulent staff audit report on the state.
Dispute Over Ghost Worker 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 the consultant prompted a re-verification exercise. This follow-up investigation revealed extensive inflation of the supposed ghost worker figures.
The government asserted that many individuals labelled as ghost workers by Sally Tibbot Consulting were, in fact, legitimate state employees. It offered to provide proof of existence for each worker, but noted the company never requested such evidence.
Allegations of Greed and Flawed Process
The state government raised serious concerns about the consultant's methodology and motives. It highlighted that the company's fees were contingent on the amount of money it claimed to save the state from its payroll. This payment structure, according to the government, incentivized the inflation of ghost worker numbers.
Officials criticized the audit process itself, citing the consultant's high-handedness, exclusion of staff, and deliberate maltreatment of workers. The government emphasized its commitment to cleaning the payroll but stated it could not, in good conscience, remove legitimate employees based on a flawed report.
Official Findings and Financial Implications
The core of the dispute lies in the stark difference in numbers. Sally Tibbot Consulting initially declared 8,448 unseen workers and 6,713 ghost retirees, totalling 15,161 individuals. This would have represented a purported saving of over N1.3 billion.
However, the state's re-verification committee found a drastically different reality:
- Out of 8,448 "unseen" workers, 8,015 were confirmed as active, with only 433 unreachable.
- Out of 6,713 "ghost" retirees, 5,830 were confirmed, with 883 unreachable.
This reduced the actual figure of unverified personnel to approximately 1,316. Consequently, the state calculated the actual savings from stopping their salaries at just over N27 million for one year, not the N1.3 billion claimed.
Based on the Memorandum of Understanding, which ties payment to actual savings, the Osun State Government has offered to pay the consultant N48,740,125.68, representing 159% of the verified annual savings. The firm, however, through its lawyer Jiti Ogunye Esq., has insisted on payment based on the original 15,161 figure.
The government, through its counsel Ire Egert-Olusesi, maintains that payment must be based on actual, verified savings and has stood by its re-verification committee's recommendations to permanently stop salaries for the confirmed 1,316 unseen personnel from July 2025.
