By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State Governor Ademola has formally invited the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate and authenticate allegations of a padded payroll and the existence of ghost workers in the state’s public service.
In addressed to the ICPC Chairman through the commission’s state office in Osogbo, Adeleke forwarded reports of a staff audit conducted by Sally Tibbot Consulting and a subsequent review committee for forensic examination.
According to the governor, upon assuming office, his administration met reports indicating the presence of ghost workers and a bloated wage bill allegedly inherited from the administration of former governor Gboyega Oyetola. Consequently, the state government engaged Sally Tibbot Consulting to audit the payroll covering the period from 2018 to November 2022.
The audit firm submitted its report on June 27, 2024, after which the governor approved the implementation of its recommendations as part of efforts to sanitize the payroll system and eliminate irregularities.
However, controversies later trailed the exercise, including claims that some top government officials were listed among alleged ghost workers. In response, the governor constituted a review committee made up of representatives of the audit firm and labour unions in the state.
In the correspondence, Adeleke requested that the ICPC deploy forensic auditors to scrutinize both the original audit report and the review committee’s findings to determine the accuracy of the review and establish the true position of the payroll.
He noted that copies of both reports were attached for the commission’s consideration and expressed appreciation for the commission’s anticipated responsibility.
