The audit report discovers over 500 ghost workers in Osun, the kicks of the work

… Rector, deputy rector, Registrar, Bursar, Refes interested

An audit report commissioned by the State government of Osun has discovered over 500 alleged ghost workers on the state payroll.

The development raises concerns about systemic fraud and irregularities between ministries and tertiary institutions.

However, the state chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress has vehemently denied the relationship.

The Times platform reports that the audit, conducted between July and August 2023 by an external consultant, involved the acquisition of biometric data, the physical verification and the presentation of credentials by public employees and pensioners.

The verification began at the Center for Black Culture and international understanding in Osogbo and was subsequently extended to the nine federal electoral colleges of the state.

Despite the resistance of the unions for fears of job losses and the repetition of past experiences, the exercise has proceeded.

The preliminary results of the relationship revealed enormous discrepancies on wages in different institutions.

At the Osun State College of Technology, ESA-OKE, about 280 staff members out of just over 300 were labeled as a ghost workers, including Rector, Vice Rector, Registrar and Bursar.

An employee concerned about the institution, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development, saying: “About 280 staff members were declared ghost workers, including the best administrators of the institution”.

Likewise, the audit report on Osun State University, Osogbo, has reported about 257 employees, including over 100 professors, for not existence or improper documentation.

Sources within the Audit team said that part of the listed staff did not have a physical presence or verifiable documentation that bound them to the institutions, suggesting a long -standing manipulation of the state’s salary management system.

However, the president of the Nigerian Labor Congress of Osun, Christopher Arapasopo, rejected the results as false and misleading.

Speaking in defense of the workers, Arapasopo said: “There are no ghost workers in Osun. This relationship does not reflect realities on the ground and completely reject his conclusions”.

He accused the consultants of acting in bad faith and warned by the use of Audit to victimize legitimate workers.

The efforts to obtain official comments from the head of the service office and the Ministry of State Finance have not been successful at the time of presenting this report.

The state government has yet to officially release the results of the Audit or indicate whether they would follow disciplinary or legal actions.

However, the dispute is likely to intensify the tensions between the state and the work organized as more details emerge.

Observers say that the result of this audit could have significant implications for the current efforts to reform the civil service and connect financial losses in the state.

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