An audit report has recommended the dismissal of the Vice Chancellor and other principal officers of Osun State University for payroll fraud, despite claims of incompetence made by the university's management.
The Osun State Government's consultant, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, has refuted allegations of incompetence against her following an audit that recommended the sacking of the Vice Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Prof. Clement Adebooye, and other rectors due to extensive payroll fraud. The audit, conducted by Sally Tibbot in mid-2023, identified 250 staff members as potential ghost workers. Bakrin-Ottun clarified that these claims were unfounded and emphasized that the Vice Chancellor did not belong to the group of staff her team was contracted to verify.
In an exclusive statement to The PUNCH, Bakrin-Ottun presented the findings from the payroll verification exercise, asserting that all principal officers of Osun State's tertiary institutions were implicated in the mismanagement highlighted in the audit report. She criticized the university's management for attempting to deflect attention from the serious allegations by attacking her professional integrity. This response sheds light on the internal conflicts arising from the audit's conclusions and the broader implications for accountability within the university.
The controversy surrounding the audit results raises questions about governance and oversight in educational institutions in Nigeria. Bakrin-Ottun’s recommendations suggest a significant accountability gap, demanding serious scrutiny of the university's administrative practices and potentially leading to far-reaching implications for the educational system in Osun State. The ongoing discourse reflects a need for reform in managing public resources and highlights the challenges faced by institutions in rectifying accountability issues.
