Workers in Osun demand a halt to personnel audits as the government allays fears of a witchhunt.

Adebowale Adekola, the Osun Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, has asked the state government to halt the proposed personnel audit of state civil servants.

This comes on the heels of a proposed 2023 staff audit exercise, for which forms are being circulated among state civil servants.

To carry out the 2023 staff audit, the Osun State Government hired a consultant, Sally Tibbot Consulting, an audit firm.

Adebowale while speaking with journalists on Friday, said “The Head of Service informed Osun workers that there may likely be a personnel audit. It is not a formal thing.

“We have to be informed formally. There should be a room for Osun workers to meet with whoever will do the audit.

“We are not afraid of being audited but we must be duly informed and carried along.”

Adebowale revealed that the state’s civil servants were not against any government policy but wants to meet the consultants.

He also revealed that the workers have not recovered from the last exercise conducted by the Rauf Aregbesola administration in 2015.

While insisting that the audit was part of the responsibility of the Osun State Auditor-General, Adebowale maintained that Osun has qualified and certified auditors in the system who can do it satisfactorily.

“We have agencies of government that can give the government whatever they need but if they are not satisfied and want to contract it out, no problem about that but they must follow due process.”

Meanwhile, the state government has allayed the fears of labour leaders over ongoing staff audit

The government also clarified that the exercise is not to witch-hunt or an agenda to sack workers in the state service.

Governor Ademola Adeleke in a statement by his Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said he has taken note of the concerns of labour leaders and directed a review of the issues raised.

“You know from the beginning the first item on the Governor’s agenda is worker’s welfare.

“The main purpose, the main goal is to ensure that workers in public service and those outside the public service are well taken care of because the thinking is, that is the best route to reboot the local economy and ensure that collective prosperity is our lots in Osun.

“One of the measures being adopted is the issue of staff audit, which is actually not an anti-labour policy, it is actually meant to support the public services and ensure that workers are properly taken care of.

“So, the motivation is basically to strengthen the payroll system to ensure that workers on the payroll are properly aligned, properly place.”