The management of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has firmly rejected allegations of a N13.7 billion payroll fraud involving its Vice-Chancellor and 249 staff members. The institution described the report by consultant Sally Tibbot Limited as false, misleading, and damaging to its reputation.
Disputed Audit Findings
The controversy stems from a statewide personnel verification exercise conducted in May and June 2023. The consulting firm’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, had alleged that the state government was paying salaries to “ghost workers” amounting to N13,716,914,129.28 annually. She further claimed that a single individual received payments meant for 5,615 staff.
However, the Osun State Government rejected these claims outright. It subsequently petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the consultant’s report. Governor Ademola Adeleke formally requested the anti-graft agency to authenticate both the initial audit and a review committee’s findings.
Addressing journalists on Saturday, UNIOSUN’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Adebooye, defended the institution’s payroll system. He insisted that all personnel on the university payroll are verifiable and duly employed.
He explained, “In May/June 2023 a statewide personnel verification exercise was conducted. The consultant submitted a report. Unfortunately to our utmost surprise, the report classified the 250 legitimate workers of the University, including the Vice-Chancellor and 249 others as ‘ghost workers.’ This classification was particularly troubling and psychologically disturbing because the individuals concerned physically appeared, presented valid credentials, and complied fully with the verification process.”
Flawed Methodology and Staff Outrage
Professor Adebooye criticised the consultant’s approach during the exercise. He noted that the report raises serious regulatory, ethical, and professional questions about the firm’s expertise as a personnel auditor.
He recalled that the entire university staff—numbering 1,017 as of August 2023—were scheduled for verification in just one day. This was Friday, 18th August 2023. Many employees from other state parastatals were also scheduled for the same day. Consequently, the VC stated that the consultant’s personnel were grossly inadequate and unskilled to cope with this multitude.
He declared that the university currently has a total of 1,463 workers. This figure comprises 628 academic staff, 466 non-teaching staff, 235 support staff, and 134 corps members.
The chaotic nature of the exercise was confirmed by affected staff members. Engineer Ade Adepoju, Director of Works, Maintenance and Physical Planning, expressed his shock at being labelled a ghost worker. “I am not a ghost worker. The exercise was like a madhouse. There were brawls and confusion. The Vice-Chancellor had to step in to calm the situation and appeal to the consultant to act professionally,” he said.
The Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU), Comrade John Adebayo, also condemned the consultant’s claims. He recalled that he had criticised the conduct of the staff audit from the very beginning. “I joined this university in 2007 as a pioneer staff. I’m currently a Deputy Registrar. How can I be declared a ghost worker?” he queried, adding that the process was full of errors and incompetence.
University Demands Apology
The Vice-Chancellor threatened legal action against the consultant. He demanded a public apology from Sally Tibbot Limited for the damage caused to the institution’s reputation.
“The Governing Council and Management of Osun State University view the consultant’s report as being precariously subjective, in bad faith, unprofessional and a deliberate attempt to smear the image and reputation of the University with falsehood and malice,” Adebooye stated.
He further alleged that the consultant lacked understanding of university employment structures. Legitimate staff on sabbatical, study, or research leave were wrongly categorised as ghost workers. “The listing of 250 members of staff (on ground) as ghost workers laid credence to the suspicion that Sally Tibbot focused on her returns rather than the accountability objective of the exercise,” he added.
“We request a formal apology to the institution and affected individuals from Sally Tibbot. The Vice-Chancellor and eminent Professors have been bombarded by embarrassing telephone calls, messages and letters from local and international organisations because of the embarrassing audit report. We may go to court to seek redress,” Adebooye warned.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the CEO of Sally Tibbot Limited for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. Calls to her phone line did not go through, and she had not responded to WhatsApp messages.