365NEWS gathered that the Osun State Government announced, on Monday, that it had recovered a total of ₦53,089,683.52 that would have been overpaid to some retirees in the state.
The overpayments, which spanned from 1 January to 31 December 2023, were uncovered during audits conducted by the state’s Auditor-General, Kolapo Idris.
The findings were presented at the annual Audit Forum held in Ede, Osun State.
Presenting the report, Idris explained that the Pension Unit in the Auditor-General’s office processed 437 retirees’ pension files during the year under review. Of these, 300 files were cleared without issues, while 137 files were queried for various discrepancies, attracting penalties as outlined in existing regulations.
Giving further details about the recovery, Kolapo said, “N9,899,515.94 was recovered on premature promotions, N19,905,615.20 was recovered as penalty from insufficient notice of retirement and Overpayment of Salary, N2,388,075.17 was recovered from retirees that had a break in service and the sum of 20,896,477.51 was recovered from retirees that overstayed their service.
“The total sum of ₦53,089,683.52, which would have been paid as overpayments to retirees, was recovered due to audit interventions during the year under review,” Idris stated.
He added that the accounts of the Osun State Government for 2023 were audited under his direction, in accordance with Section 125(2) of the 1999 Constitution. The audit report included statements of financial performance, financial position, net assets/equity, cash flow, budget-to-actual comparisons, and explanatory notes.
Idris assured attendees that the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2023, presented in the report, accurately reflected the financial activities and state of affairs of Osun State. He also pledged to address any inquiries arising from the report.
In his remarks, the Osun State Head of Service, Mr. Ayanleye Aina, commended Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration for its transparency regarding the state’s finances.
“The governor is very transparent and honest. He has nothing to hide, which is why we have this forum. Today, the Auditor-General will present a detailed report on Osun State’s revenue, expenditure, assets, and liabilities,” Aina said.
The event, attended by officials including the chairman of the Osun State House of Assembly Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Lawal, civil society representatives, and labour leaders, provided an opportunity for stakeholders to scrutinise the state’s financial records.
