Osun APC Alleges ₦13.7 Billion Payroll Fraud in Adeleke Administration, Calls for Investigation

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged anti-graft agencies to investigate what it described as a staggering ₦13.7 billion annual payroll fraud allegedly occurring under Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration.

Speaking in Osogbo on Thursday, APC State Chairman Tajudeen Lawal accused the Adeleke-led government of overseeing a massive ghost worker scheme while allegedly shielding those involved. The claims were based on a staff audit reportedly conducted by Saadat Ottun, Vice Chairman and CEO of Sally Tibbot Consulting Limited.

According to Lawal, the audit revealed that a civil servant had allegedly been receiving salaries meant for 5,615 workers into a single bank account, resulting in the purported ₦13.7 billion annual fraud. He criticized the state government for allegedly failing to act on the audit report submitted in July 2024.

Lawal said, “The troubling revelation of an alleged annual ₦13.7 billion payroll fraud has once again vindicated our party and confirmed our concerns over the past three years of the Adeleke administration. It shows sheer irresponsibility and incompetence, and confirms that Osun State has become a cesspool of corruption.”

He further alleged that top officials, including Dr. Deji Adeleke and the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, were complicit in the scheme, raising concerns that both state and non-state actors were enriching themselves at the expense of the people.

“The alleged complicity of key members of the governor’s inner circle suggests that non-state actors colluded with those entrusted with administering the state to illegally enrich themselves,” Lawal said.

The APC called on anti-corruption agencies to investigate the state payroll system urgently and hold anyone found culpable accountable. The party also criticized the government for failing to act despite allegedly identifying individuals operating multiple bank accounts linked to payroll irregularities.

Describing the state’s situation as dire, Lawal added, “Ọsun is bleeding. Terribly bleeding. Whoever foisted Governor Adeleke as the political leader of this state, despite evident concerns about his credentials and competence, must reflect deeply. Osun State has not only become a subject of public scrutiny but has also been deprived of the progress it once enjoyed.”