A civil society organisation, The Osun Mastermind (TOM), has tasked Governor Ademola Adeleke to explain to the people of the state how his administration and the firm engaged to conduct a staff audit allegedly squandered public funds without tangible results.
The state government had engaged Sally Tibbot Limited to conduct a staff audit, a move that later resulted in controversy between the government and the company, with accusations and counter-accusations exchanged in the media.
Addressing newsmen in Osogbo on Friday, TOM’s Executive Director, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, expressed disappointment over the outcome of the exercise.
He said the group had earlier raised concerns about the competence of Sally Tibbot Limited, citing the manner in which the audit process was handled and the crises that trailed the exercise within a short period.
Oyedokun-Alli noted that the organisation questioned the firm’s qualification for the contract at the outset, stressing that there were suspicions the company was favoured in the award process.
He added that public statements credited to the firm’s representative about having direct access to the governor at odd hours further strengthened those suspicions.
He maintained that it was evident to observers that the firm lacked the people-management capacity required to audit a civil service the size of Osun State’s.
According to him, despite repeated warnings and what he described as obvious mishandling of the contract, the state government insisted on retaining the company, a decision he said has now led to unpleasant consequences.
The TOM executive director also criticised the state government over the abandonment of the Automated Payroll Administration System (APAS), which reportedly cost N79 million.
He questioned what went wrong between the government and Sally Tibbot Limited, arguing that contractual disagreements should not degenerate into verbal exchanges and public embarrassment, including allegations involving the State’s Chief of Staff.
He said the Osun State Government owes residents a clear and comprehensive explanation regarding the resources expended on the staff audit exercise, insisting that taxpayers deserve transparency on how public funds were utilised.
Oyedokun-Alli further demanded to know who would take responsibility for the alleged waste of N79 million spent on the Automated Payroll Administration System, questioning whether government procurement processes should allow for such significant expenditure on a system that was eventually discarded.
He also called on the state government to make public the full report of Sally Tibbot Limited on the staff audit exercise, noting that civil servants endured inconveniences during the process and that citizens deserve access to the complete findings rather than selective disclosures.
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