NEWS
Payroll Verification: Osun, Sally Tibbot Trade Words on Ghost Workers
The Osun State Government has reacted to allegations of covering up ghost workers in the state public service by Sally Tibbot Limited.
A government house statement in Osogbo on Friday described the press briefing by the company as a subtle blackmail to force a fraudulent staff audit report on the state.
In a reaction, the state government said the unusually high numbers of alleged ghost workers by the consultant led to a re-verification exercise which shockingly revealed extensive inflation of the supposed number of ghost workers and which showed that those the company claimed were ghost workers showed up that they were legitimate employees of the state government.
The government further proposed to furnish the company with proof of the existence of each of these workers, if the same is required. However, the company did not at any point in time request for such proof nor send an acceptance letter for payment based on about 1,316 workers who were not seen.
It noted that the entire saga became more suspicious, especially as company’s fees was based on the amount of money she saves the State government on the payroll, indicating that the company’s claim was based on greed especially going by the consultant’s high handedness, open exclusion of staff during auditing process and deliberate maltreatment of workers that characterised the entire audit processes.
In addition, the government submitted that while it was eager to clean up the state payroll, it can not in good conscience remove legitimate state government employees from the payroll and cannot submit to an audit report that has the potential to further defraud the state government.
Submitting that it is within its right to review an audit report before implementation, the government noted that the existence of open gaps, verifiable lapses, several battles during the audit process and high number of ghost workers compelled the setting up of a verification committee as a prelude to the implementation of the staff audit report.
Recall that Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd had declared 8,448 workers as unseen workers while 6,713 retirees were declared as ghost retirees. However, the government declared that the conclusion was arrived at by the company without making any efforts to call each of these workers to ascertain the reason for their absence.
It averred that, “Upon the receipt of the report of the exercise carried out by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd, in order to avoid a situation where an honest worker would be declared a ghost worker only by reason of such worker’s absence from verification, especially if the reason for such absence is ill-health the Osun State Government carried out an in-depth analysis of the report and the following was discovered:
“Out of the total number of 8,448 workers declared by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd as unseen workers, the Osun State Government was able to confirm 8,015 as active workers while 433 workers were found to be unreachable.
“Also, out of the total number of 6,713 retirees declared as ghost workers by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd as unseen workers, the Osun State Government was able to confirm the existence of 5,830 retirees while 883 could not be reached.”
Consequently, the government maintained that, “The implication of this is that the percentage claim payable to Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd reduced drastically by virtue of the fact that the said Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd attempted to reap where she did not sow by inflating the number of ghost workers/retirees to 15,161 when in actual fact, the unseen workers/retirees are about 1,316.”
The statement explained that, in response to the letter of demand dated 25th June, 2025 written by Jiti Ogunye Esq., the counsel to Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd, the Osun State Government, through her counsel, Ire Egert-Olusesi (Mrs.) of the firm of Musibau Adetunbi SAN & Co., responded via a letter dated 8th July, 2025 explaining in details, the need to be absolutely sure of the exact amount that was saved by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd by the verification exercise, considering the fact that payment to the said Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd is based on the percentage of the amount saved.
“The Osun State Government by the said letter, further proposed that payment be made on the number of the actual ghost workers ascertained, i.e. about 1,316 while more verification is carried out. Copies of the said letters dated 25th June, 2025 and 8th July, 2025 are herein attached as Annexures 1 and 2.
“On 23rd July, 2025, the counsel to Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd wrote another letter insisting that payment should be made on 15,161 as against the about 1,316 workers, claiming that the agreement between the company and Osun State Government did not envisage a re-verification exercise by the government.
“The said Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd did not avert her mind to the fact that payment, by the agreement between the parties, is to be made on the actual amount saved by the state by the verification exercise. The Osun State Government, by a letter dated 5th August, 2025 responded and drew the attention of the company to the fact that the agreement between the parties only envisaged payment to the company based on the actual savings.”
According to the statement, the State Government, through her counsel, further referred the company to the relevant Clause of the Agreement executed between both parties.
It should be emphasised that the state government stands by the recommendations of its re-verification committee which stated as follows:
That the total emolument (gains) to the (Government from the unseen personnel is Twenty-seven Million, Seventy-seven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty-Seven Naira, Sixty Kobo (N27,077,847.60) only as opposed to One Billion, Three Hundred and Fifteen Million, Three Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty-four Naira, Three Kobo (NI318,3 17,664.03) given by the Consulting firm.
That the main Committee was of the conviction that enough time and action have been taken on the re-verification exercise, based on this, it recommends as follows:
That the salaries and pensions as well as palliatives of the unseen staff (active and retirees) be permanently stopped with effect from July, 2025;
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That the Consultant be paid the sum of Forty-eight Million, Seven Hundred and Forty Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-five Naira, Sixty-eight Kobo (N48,740,125.68) representing 159% of the annual gross salaries and allowances the re-verification enabled the Government to save in one year in line with Section 3(3.1) of the MoU between the State Government and the Consulting firm on the exercise.
NEWS
2026 Poll: Osun Ndigbo Backs Adeleke’s Second-Term Bid
Ahead of the 2026 governorship election, the Ndigbo community across the local government areas of Osun State has declared its support for the second-term bid of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
A government house statement in Osogbo on Wednesday night has it that ndi Igbo cited his administration’s developmental strides across the state for their decision.
The endorsement was made during a courtesy visit by leaders of the Igbo community in Osun to the governor at the Government House in Osogbo, where they commended his leadership and commitment to inclusive governance.
ALSO READ: Adeleke on Why he Deserves Second Term
Speaking on behalf of the association, President-General of the Ndigbo in the state, Chief John Dike, praised the governor for the infrastructural and social development projects being carried out across the state.
He particularly commended the governor for appointing some members of the Igbo community as Senior Special Assistants, describing the gesture as a sign of recognition and inclusion of the community in the affairs of the state.
Chief Dike, however, appealed for further inclusiveness, requesting that more Igbo indigenes be considered for appointments into the state cabinet and other employment opportunities within the government.
He also urged the state government to allocate land for the construction of a modern secretariat for the Igbo community and grant approval for an endorsement rally in support of the governor’s re-election bid.
In addition, the Ndigbo leader sought assistance for Igbo farmers operating within the state, while assuring the governor of the community’s unwavering support for his administration and second-term ambition. Members of the delegation also presented campaign caps to the governor as a symbol of their solidarity.
Responding, Governor Adeleke expressed appreciation for the endorsement, noting that the Igbo community has continued to contribute positively to the social and economic development of the state.
He assured them that his administration would continue to promote their welfare and support their progress, while granting the requests presented during the visit.
NEWS
Adeleke on Why he Deserves Second Term
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has declared that his administration’s record of performance and fulfilment of electoral promises justifies a second term in office.
A government house statement in Osogbo on Wednesday has it that the governor made the declaration while hosting a delegation of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (ADS), Osun State Council, during a courtesy visit to the Government House, Osogbo.
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It was gathered that the delegation was led by the National Vice President of the society, Asiwaju Justice Adeigbe (Rtd), alongside the Chairman of the Osun State chapter, Chief Daud Oladapo.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the State Secretary of the society, Dr Afeez Akande, praised the Governor’s performance and pledged the support of the organisation for the continuity of the administration.
“We have been following what you are doing and your track records. You are wonderful and you are marvelous in our eyes. The monumental works you have been doing in Osun make it look like we have never had a Governor like this before,” Dr Akande said.
He noted that the administration’s projects are known for timely delivery and strategic impact on the lives of residents.
“We have identified that once you embark on projects, they are time-bound. It shows genuine administrative acumen, love for the state and love for the people,” he added.
Dr Akande also cited infrastructural developments, specifically the ongoing dualisation of roads, notably that of Iwo as an example of the Governor’s vision-driven leadership.
“That road project has helped to boost economic activities in the area. Such development can only come from someone with vision who follows through with implementation. We appreciate what you are doing and we are resolved to support the continuity,” he said.
Responding, Governor Adeleke thanked the delegation for the visit and reaffirmed his commitment to people-centred governance.
“Today marks the starting point of campaigning for the August 15, 2026 governorship election. We need your prayers and support for a free and fair election through which the will of the people will prevail,” the Governor said.
Governor Adeleke also unveiled an upgraded Five-Point Agenda that will drive his re-election campaign.
“Our reloaded Five-Point Agenda will focus on integrated youth, women and workers’ welfare and empowerment; infrastructure consolidation for citizens’ social and economic wellbeing; agro-industrial expansion for human development and collective prosperity; affordable and qualitative health and education access; and an improved and secured business environment for job creation,” the Governor stated.
Explaining why he deserves a second term, the Governor pointed to the administration’s record across several sectors.
“When the opposition asked whether I deserve to be re-elected, I told them yes based on my performance in this first term in office,” the Governor said.
“I deserve re-election because of what our administration has delivered for the people of Osun. We have empowered the cooperative movement with almost four billion naira, strengthened community development associations with grassroots health and infrastructure projects, and implemented the Imole Medical Outreach that has benefited almost eighty thousand residents.”
He added that the administration has also revived agriculture and rural development across the state.
“We revived the cocoa revolution through aggressive seedling distribution and new farmers’ initiatives, acquired brand new tractors now serving farmers across the state, and implemented thousands of local projects through integrated rural development under the O-RAMP programme,” he said.
Governor Adeleke further highlighted achievements in governance, infrastructure and economic management.
“We introduced a 45-day window for the acquisition of Certificates of Occupancy, revived the Osun Free Trade Zone with active investors, digitised tax and revenue collection, and implemented the SIFMIS payroll application to ensure transparency in the management of public funds,” he stated.
The Governor also cited major achievements in infrastructure and social services.
“We have constructed over 350 kilometres of roads, developed three major flyover bridges, revived six moribund waterworks, drilled 332 boreholes across wards, rehabilitated schools and health centres, and paid inherited half salaries and almost one hundred billion naira in pension debts,” he added.
Governor Adeleke assured the people of Osun that his administration will continue to deliver inclusive governance and sustainable development if re-elected.
“My promise to the people of Osun is that now and when we are re-elected, we will continue to run an inclusive and forward-looking government that keeps the people at the centre of our programmes and policies,” he said.
Other dignitaries, and political functionaries present included the Deputy Governor of Osun State, Prince Kola Adewusi, and the Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina.
NEWS
Fuel Price Shock: Nigerians May Soon Pay ₦1,500 Per Litre – Marketers Warn
Oil marketers have warned that Nigerians may soon pay as much as ₦1,500 per litre for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, as global oil prices surge following the escalating conflict involving Iran in the Middle East.
The National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, issued the warning on Tuesday while speaking on a television programme on the impact of the global crisis on fuel prices.
According to him, the current volatility in the international oil market has already pushed petrol prices above ₦1,000 per litre at the depot level, with the ex-depot price from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery now standing at about ₦1,175 per litre.
He explained that once logistics, transportation, and other operational costs are added, the final pump price could rise significantly, possibly reaching ₦1,500 per litre in the near future.
Despite concerns about the rising cost of fuel, Gillis-Harry noted that steady availability of petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery remains a major relief for Nigeria, stressing that consistent supply is better than a nationwide fuel scarcity.
He added that the refinery’s production capacity is helping to stabilize supply across the country at a time when global markets remain highly unstable.
The latest price adjustment by the Dangote Refinery marks the fourth review within two weeks. Petrol prices increased from ₦995 per litre to ₦1,175 per litre, while diesel rose from ₦1,430 to about ₦1,620 per litre.
The development comes amid a sharp spike in international crude oil prices triggered by fears of supply disruptions due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Brent crude recently climbed above $102 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose to around $101 per barrel.
Industry analysts say the rising oil prices are already having a ripple effect on Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, forcing depot operators and fuel marketers to adjust their prices in response to the global market trend.
Meanwhile, the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stated that although Nigeria introduced a crude-for-naira arrangement to support local refineries, the facility still purchases crude oil at international market prices, leaving it exposed to global price fluctuations.





