A storm of fury is brewing within the corridors of Alpha Beta Consulting LLP, the controversial tax firm widely linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following damning revelations of systemic discrimination, gross injustice, and preferential treatment that has left many long-serving employees disillusioned and betrayed.
The company, which rose to prominence after being awarded a lucrative contract to manage Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for Lagos State during Tinubu’s tenure as governor in the early 2000s, has again found itself in the eye of a scandal—this time over how it treats its own workers.
20 Years of Service, N400,000 as Goodbye
According to multiple inside sources, Alpha Beta has allegedly rewarded employees who dedicated over two decades of service with meagre gratuity payments—as low as N400,000. Among those shortchanged are Mr. Gbenga Iyilade, who retired in 2024 with a paltry N500,000, and Messrs. Akeem Bakare (aka Tashare) and Gabriel Okojoko, who received just N400,000 each, despite giving over 20 years of their lives to the firm.
> “Imagine working day and night for more than 20 years, only to walk away with peanuts,” one aggrieved staff member lamented. “Meanwhile, the GMD’s allies—who were earning millions—are paid full salaries for a year after retirement and re-engaged as high-earning contractors. That’s not just unfair, it’s inhuman.”
The outrage centers around the conduct of the firm’s Group Managing Director, Otunba Akinsanya Doherty, whose close associates are reportedly treated with royal favour. Insiders allege that some of these allies received full post-retirement salaries for one year and were promptly rehired as contractors with plush monthly paychecks—an arrangement denied to most other staffers.
Adding fuel to the fire, a confidential email from employee Tosin Ibiyeye exposed blatant discrimination in the company’s Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) package. Staff members are covered by a limited N100,000 annual plan—an amount reportedly insufficient for basic medical care, leaving many employees to fend for themselves in emergencies.
Whistleblowers within Alpha Beta paint a disturbing picture of an organization riddled with nepotism and favouritism, where key appointments are based not on merit but personal connections to the GMD.
For example:
Mrs. Olubunmi Morenike, the GMD’s cousin, was hired in 2020 and promoted to General Manager by 2022—an unusually rapid rise.
Dr. Kolade Fajuyigbe, a former Mobil Oil colleague of Doherty, joined in late 2018 and was also elevated to GM in just four years—despite being over 60 years old.
Olumide Hezekiah Idowu, described by insiders as technically unqualified, now holds the powerful position of Chief Technology Officer.
And Ige Anjolaoluwa-Amusan, said to lack any prior experience, was allegedly handed top-level managerial duties with no competitive selection process.
> “It’s a club. If you’re not part of the GMD’s inner circle, you don’t matter,” another staff member shared. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve served or how competent you are. Your loyalty must be to a person, not to the organization.”
When SaharaReporters reached out to the company for clarification, Human Relations Officer, Ige Anjolaoluwa, responded with: “Can you call me later? We are trying to mourn a staff member. Call me back, and I will respond to your questions.”
However, repeated calls made to her phone days later, including on Wednesday, June 11, were declined—suggesting the company may be deliberately avoiding accountability.
This is not the first time Alpha Beta has faced public scrutiny. Dapo Apara, the firm’s former managing director, previously accused Tinubu of fraud, money laundering, and concealing ownership of the firm through proxies. While an out-of-court settlement was reportedly discussed in 2022, the controversies around Alpha Beta have continued to mount.
With fresh revelations surfacing about the firm’s callous internal practices, questions are once again being raised about the company’s ethics, governance, and its relationship with Nigeria’s political elite.
PIONEER NEWS 