The management of Osun State University has demanded a formal apology from consulting firm Sally Tibbot Ltd after an audit report allegedly listed 250 of its staff members as “ghost workers”.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye, addressing journalists in Osogbo on Saturday, described the report as misleading and damaging to the institution’s reputation. He warned that the university would consider legal action if the firm fails to issue a formal apology to both the institution and the affected staff.
Adebooye disclosed that he personally underwent physical verification during the May/June 2023 payroll audit exercise but was nonetheless listed as a ghost worker in the final report. According to him, 249 other staff members were similarly classified despite being legitimate employees.
The vice-chancellor characterised the audit findings as “subjective, unprofessional and made in bad faith,” alleging that the consultant lacked adequate understanding of university employment structures, including sabbatical leave, study leave, research leave and visiting lecturer arrangements. He maintained that several staff members on approved leave were wrongly categorised.
“The listing of 250 members of staff who are physically present and duly verified raises serious concerns about the methodology adopted,” Adebooye said, adding that the situation has subjected the university
and its senior academics to embarrassment locally and internationally.The university insisted that documented evidence of physical verification contradicts the audit’s conclusions and questioned the basis upon which the ghost worker list was compiled.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Chief Executive Officer of Sally Tibbot Ltd, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
The controversy is linked to a statewide payroll audit conducted for the Osun State Government. The consultant had previously alleged that about 15,000 ghost workers and retirees were discovered on the state payroll.
However, the Osun State Government, through Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Kolapo Alimi, accused the firm of inflating figures to increase commission earnings.
Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the alleged payroll irregularities.
In response, the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sunday Bisi, dismissed the opposition’s claims and urged focus on ongoing payroll reforms.
With tensions rising between the university, the consultant and political stakeholders, attention now turns to whether an apology will be issued — or whether the dispute will move to the courts.
