Lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Osun State in the National Assembly have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate alleged irregularities in the state payroll, including the purported existence of 15,000 ghost workers.
In a statement on Friday, the lawmakers representing Obokun/Oriade, Ijesa South, and Ife federal constituencies, Oluwole Oke, Olusanya Omirin, and Abimbola Ajilesoro, described the revelations as alarming and said the audit that brought them to light raised serious concerns about financial management under the current administration.
The report, conducted by Sally Tibbot Consulting Limited, allegedly exposed large-scale discrepancies in the handling of public funds.
However, the Osun State Government rejected the claims, accusing the consultancy of producing a biased report and failing to provide the names of the so-called ghost workers.
Despite the government’s denial, the APC caucus maintained that the audit revealed “worrying levels of corruption, opacity, and mismanagement” in the state’s payroll system.
They claimed that a single Bank Verification Number was linked to salaries for at least 5,615 employees, highlighting serious lapses in internal controls.
The lawmakers also flagged concerns involving senior figures in the state, including Governor Ademola Adeleke, businessman Dr Deji Adeleke, and the governor’s Chief of Staff, Mr Kazeem Akinleye.
They said the audit, which covered transactions from January 2023 to June 2024, did not implicate former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The caucus also cited a reportedly leaked audio involving an official from the consulting firm and the governor’s Chief of Staff, describing it as evidence of an attempt to intimidate auditors.
Consequently, the lawmakers urged the EFCC and ICPC to launch an immediate investigation into the alleged payroll fraud and to hold accountable all officials found to have colluded in the scheme.
