Politics
Osun APC seeks probe over alleged N13bn payroll fraud
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has called for investigations by anti-corruption agencies into an alleged payroll fraud involving over N13 billion under the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The party made the call in a press statement signed by Kola Olabisi, its Director of Media and Information alleging that a forensic audit of the state civil service uncovered payments to thousands of non-existent workers.
DAILY POST gathered that at a press conference on Friday, January 9, 2025, Jiti Ogunye, legal counsel to the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of SALLY TIBBOT Consulting Limited, Sa’adaat A. Bakrin-Ottu, said the firm’s audit identified 8,452 alleged ghost workers on the state payroll.
Ogunye disclosed that the audit found that more than N13 billion was paid annually to the purported non-existent workers, describing the findings as the outcome of a forensic review commissioned by the state government.
According to him, “the executive brief submitted to Governor Adeleke showed that the January 2023 payroll for mainstream workers and pensioners stood at N4.48 billion, based on payments made by CHAMS to 37,456 workers and 17,918 pensioners.”
He added that “following a comprehensive staff audit, payroll reengineering and validation exercise, the genuine monthly payroll was revised to N3.34 billion, with an actual workforce of 29,004 staff and 17,918 pensioners, thereby indicating an excess of 8,452 names.”
Ogunye also disclosed that “the exercise, conducted between June 2022 and April 2023, resulted in alleged monthly savings of N1.14 billion, translating to about N13.7 billion annually for the Osun State Government.”
He said the firm submitted its full report to the governor on June 27, 2024, and publicly presented the findings and recommendations at a ceremony in Osogbo on July 10, 2024.
Ogunye claimed that despite repeated demands for the implementation of the report’s recommendations and payment for the concluded assignment, the firm had yet to receive a response. He noted that the state government instead carried out a revalidation exercise to review the report.
The legal counsel also alleged that members of the consulting firm’s management had received threats following their insistence on the implementation of the audit recommendations.
Reacting, the Osun APC “urged the Nigeria Police to investigate the alleged threats. We call on statutory anti-corruption agencies to examine the claims surrounding the reported N13 billion payroll payments.”
The party, in the statement said it “expected the state government to address the allegations and clarify the status of the audit recommendations.”
Meanwhile, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has welcomed the call by Sally Tibbot Limited, an anti-corruption agencies to review the state staff audit report, according to the statement issued on Friday.
Responding to the development, Governor Adeleke in a statement by his Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed on Saturday said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, were at liberty to examine the report and the processes behind it.
Adeleke stated that any review would concern the payroll and personnel records inherited from the administration of former governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Also on Saturday, the Osun State Government through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi in a statement dismissed the allegations of ghost workers in the state public service levelled by Sally Tibbot Consulting (Nig.) Ltd.
The state government also described the company’s recent press briefing as an attempt to blackmail the government into accepting a disputed audit report.
Alimi said the unusually high number of alleged ghost workers presented by the consultant necessitated a re-verification exercise, which revealed significant inflation in the figures originally submitted.
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Politics
2027: Any vote for APC is for terrorists to continue – Aisha Yesufu
Former Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Senatorial aspirant for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Aisha Yesufu, says any vote for the All Progressives Congress, APC, is for terrorists to continue in the country.
Yesufu made this remark in a statement posted on her verified X handle on Sunday.
This is as the rate of insecurity in the country has significantly increased with killings and abductions across the country.
The human rights activist also charged every Nigerian above 18 years old to get their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.
According to her, the miracle people have been praying for is more accessible with their PVCs
“Any vote for APC is vote for these terrorists to continue what they are doing,” the co-convener of BringBackOurGirls Movement said.
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Politics
Gbajabiamila: APC govt running Nigeria with alarming recklessness – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government of running Nigeria with alarming recklessness.
PDP spoke in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Sunday.
The party was reacting to the scandal involving Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, and ‘the Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC’, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Recall that Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy and demanded an additional N200 million to secure his appointment.
The Presidency has, however, debunked the allegation, saying Gbajabiamila cannot give appointments.
Reacting, the PDP said, “The recent grave accusations levelled against Gbajabiamila and the admissions contained in the response issued by Presidential Spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, have confirmed what many Nigerians had long suspected.
“The APC-led Federal Government is running the country with alarming recklessness, where nepotism and cronyism have displaced merit, and impunity has become standard practice, administered in a manner akin to a criminal enterprise.
“Adeyemi alleged that the Chief of Staff solicited and received financial inducements from him in exchange for facilitating his appointment into the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and also made further demands in the course of running the office.
“In response, the Presidency, through Bayo Onanuga, did not directly deny the allegation; instead, it parried them, rather describing Adeyemi as an impostor and a fraudster who forged his way into the highest levels of government.
“How else can one explain the serial embarrassments emanating from the Presidential Villa under this administration? From the appointment of deceased persons into government offices, to the inclusion of undeserving individuals on the presidential pardon list, the N800 billion Progressive Governors Forum scandal, and numerous other avoidable blunders. This administration has demonstrated a troubling pattern of institutional failure.”
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Politics
2027 campaign must be issue-based, not personal attacks – Lamido to PDP candidates
Former Jigawa State Governor and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has called on aspiring politicians and candidates to conduct issue-based campaigns and avoid personal attacks as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
Lamido made the call Saturday when he received PDP Governorship candidates of Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Yobe states in his hometown Bamaina, Birnin Kudi Local Government.
He said, focusing on issue-based campaign will help in restoring unity and development of the country especially when the country is facing serious problems.
According to him, “We want to redirect and restore the culture of politics in terms of issues not personality.
“We must know, we are all Nigerians, that’s very important, we are citizens of this country, we all love Nigeria.
“It’s not about what someone did, it’s about what you will give as an individual or political party, what are you going to offer Nigerians?”
Lamido explained that, issues such as insecurity, education, economy, corruption among other are the issues that require attention.
“These are the issues we will be campaigning, so that by the time we win the government, it is going to be a government of the people ”
Speaking during the visit, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State and former Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, commended the former governor for his fatherly role, steadfastness, and commitment to speaking the truth.
Pantami said the visit was aimed at seeking Lamido’s fatherly advice, guidance, and support as they navigate the current political landscape.
According to him, “Nigeria and Nigerians need leaders like Sule Lamido who stand with the masses and possess the courage to speak the truth to anyone, regardless of their position or status,” Pantami said.
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