OSUN PAYROL: UNIOSUN Speaks On Sally Tibbot’s Declaring Lecturers As Ghost Workers, Threatens Legal Action

Management Osun State University (UNIOSUN) have rejected the classification of 250 of its staff members, including the Vice-Chancellor, as “ghost workers” in the 2023 Osun State personnel verification exercise conducted by Sally Tibbot Consulting, describing the report as unprofessional, subjective, and malicious.

Addressing journalists at a press conference held at the Vice-Chancellor’s office on Saturday, Professor Odunayo Clement Adebooye said the institution would pursue all lawful avenues, including possible legal action, if a formal apology is not issued by the consulting firm.

The Vice-Chancellor stated that the May/June 2023 statewide audit exercise wrongly listed 250 legitimate university employees as ghost workers despite their physical presence and compliance during the verification process. He described the classification as “psychologically disturbing” and an affront to the integrity of the institution.

On behalf of the authorities of the Osun State University, Osogbo I welcome you all and thank you for your presence here today. We have invited you in the spirit of transparency, accountability, and respect for truth, to address a matter that has recently generated public concern following statements credited to Sally Tibbot Consult regarding civil/public staff audit exercise conducted in Osun State in May/June, 2023.

Let me state from the outset that this briefing is a measured institutional response grounded in facts, professional standards, and the responsibility we owe to our staff, students, and the public whose trust we hold in high esteem. This briefing therefore has no sensational, emotional or political coloration. We are to demonstrate that the University system is set up on the foundation of truth for the production and propagation of knowledge.

In May/June 2023 a statewide personnel verification exercise was conducted. The consultant submitted a report. Unfortunately to our utmost surprise, the report classified the 250 legitimate workers of the University, including the Vice-Chancellor and 249 others as “ghost workers.” This classification was particularly troubling and psychologically disturbing because the individuals concerned physically appeared, presented valid credentials, and complied fully with the verification process.

This audit report has recently resurfaced in public discourse. We emphasize that this issue transcends politics, therefore our gathering here today is apolitical. We do not have any political interest whatsoever. We are here today to inform Nigerians that the section of the report that affects the University raises serious regulatory, ethical, and professional questions against the consultant and against the consultant’s expertise as personnel auditor.

It is crystal clear that the name of Osun State University has continued to feature in the lingering controversies surrounding the 2023 staff audit conducted by Osun State Government through Sally Tibbot Consulting. It has therefore become imperative for us as a University with the highest standards of dignity and integrity to put the records straight, not to join the ensuing political argumentation but to make the positions of the University clearly known to stakeholders and members of the general public.

It is on record, widely reported in the dailies during the audit, that the whole exercise was fraught with various acts of operational misconduct as far as Osun State University employees were concerned.

Some of these included:

The whole staff members of the University numbering 1017 as of August 2023 were scheduled to be verified in just one day (Friday 18th August, 2023), along with many employees of the State from other parastatals, and they all had to move out of their Campuses to converge at the State Secretariat. The Consultant’s personnel were grossly inadequate and unskilled to cope with this multitude. Consequently, all staff members including Professors had to line up under the scorching sun for a long time;

The consultant, Sally Tibbot, showed unprecedented arrogance, indiscipline, immaturity and repulsive behaviours in her interaction with UNIOSUN’s staff members. It was so bad that she had to call one of our Professors “a bastard”.

The reactions that trailed the consultant’s unethical conducts were shamefully loud and disturbing, and severally published by popular newspapers and social media. That led to the consultant’s invitation by the Osun State House of Assembly to appear before it on 22nd August, 2023. In fact, dissatisfied with her explanations and apologies, the Assembly had to rule that the exercise be suspended.

The consultant, Sally Tibbot, seemed to be grossly unfamiliar with and ignorant of the operations of the University system. She evidently is not knowledgeable on such terms as “Sabbatical leave”, “Study leave”, “Visiting lecturer”, “Research Leave” etc. This ignorance made her to willfully ignore the list of employees who were on Sabbatical leave, study leave, research leave, etc. and went ahead to categorise them and several workers (on ground) as ghost workers.

The listing of 250 members of staff (on ground) as ghost workers laid credence to the suspicion that Sally Tibbot focused on her returns rather than the accountability objective of the exercise. The University unequivocally questions the methodological basis upon which the ghost workers list was drawn, particularly in the light of documented evidence of physical verification. As a University, we question the quality of the biometric tools and data science skill of Sally Tibbot.

The University submitted a list of employees who had left the University due to retirement and withdrawal of service/resignation between the previous staff audit (2022) and the last one (2023). Rather than net the figures out of the gross work force, the consultant willfully merged all of such staff and categorized them as ghost workers suspiciously to score undeserved pecuniary gain. Even though I was present throughout the exercise and was even assisting to calm angry workers down, Messrs Sally Tibbot report categorized me as a ghost worker. What an insult to my personality and the Office of the Vice-Chancellor!

For the avoidance of doubt, Osun State University is a law-abiding public institution founded on principles of accountability, due process, and verifiable record-keeping. Our payroll system, personnel documentation, and administrative procedures are subject to statutory oversight and monthly review by relevant authorities. Indeed, our University carries out monthly staff audit through the “Salary Checker” system. Only members of staff who have been certified on the salary checker by the 18th of the month can earn the salary for that month. Ours is a real-time verification that is fool proof. Our system does not allow salary padding let alone ghost workers. In fact, as of today, we have a total of 1463 workers in our 6 campuses, comprising:

1

ACADEMIC STAFF

628

2

NON -TEACHING STAFF

466

3

SUPPORT STAFF

235

4

NYSC

134

Messrs Sally Tibbot Consulting breached the standard audit procedure by fencing the employer from verifying the employees. This is the global practice of procedural principle of fairness in audit. It is not acceptable for an audit report to be insulated against review by the principal. In standard practice, there is “Management Letter” that accompanies every audit report to which the client is expected to respond to before the audit report is finalized. Unfortunately, Sally Tibbot never wanted this to happen. The company wanted legitimate workers to be summarily declared as ghost workers. Therefore, both the Governing Council and Management of Osun State University view the consultant’s report as being precariously subjective, in bad faith, unprofessional and a deliberate attempt to smear the image and reputation of the University with falsehood and malice.

Having established the above, we request a formal apology to the institution and affected individuals from Sally Tibbot. The Vice-Chancellor and eminent Professors have been bombarded by embarrassing telephone calls, messages and letters from local and international organizations because of the embarrassing audit report. Universities are custodians of knowledge and character. Allegations affecting their integrity must therefore be handled with the highest level of professional caution. Public statements capable of diminishing institutional reputation should always be preceded by rigorous verification, particularly where they concern identifiable individuals whose records are readily accessible. We take exception to Sally Tibbot audit report and we are willing to take further necessary action as permitted by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We wish to emphasize that this university remains fully open 24/7to any lawful, properly constituted, and professionally conducted review by competent authorities. We are confident that any independent reassessment carried out in strict compliance with recognized auditing standards will confirm the accuracy of our records and the legitimacy of our personnel.

Let me conclude by reaffirming that Osun State University stands for truth, professionalism, and accountability. We urge all parties involved to approach this matter with the seriousness it deserves, guided by facts and established standards rather than conjecture. The Osun State University feels unrepentant to state that the audit report by Sally Tibbot, especially the section that listed the Vice-Chancellor and 249 legitimate workers of the University as ghost workers is useless documentation meant to be thrown into paper shredding machine, the shredded material into the dustbin and finally to the incinerator. Sally Tibbot targeted our employment through their unprofessional, fraudulent and misleading report. As I said, the University and her members will act individually, severally and as body corporate to address the Sally Tibbot mischief as guaranteed in our rights as Nigerians.

We thank members of the press for their continued commitment to responsible journalism and for providing a platform through which institutions may clarify issues of public interest.