There is a battle of wit and counter accusations between the Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu and his Media Aide, Victor Oluwadamilare over unpaid salaries.
Adebayo Shittu in Termination of Appointment sent to Oluwadamilare, said the termination of Oluwadamilare took effect from April 1st, 2018.
The Minister in the ‘Termination of Appointment,’ personally signed by him, however, informed Oluwadamilare that he had issued a draft of N1,300,000 in respect of his outstanding emoluments as at 31st March, 2018.
Among those who had resigned or left the Minister are Alhaji Rasak Olubodun who until his resignation in October 2017 was a Personal Assistant to the Minister. Olubodun who once served as Special Adviser on Parastatal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state, resigned his appointment after spending 23 months with the Minister without salary.
Olubodun who also hails from Saki, the hometown of the ex-Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in Oyo State was said to have written the minister through his lawyer, demanding the payment of the 23-month salary arrears and other entitlements running to over N10m. Rasaq Olubodun.
We also gathered that apart from Olubodun whose resignation generated a lot of controversy last year, five other aides of the Minister had also resigned.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Senator Dino Melaye blasts Gov. Yahaya Bello in a new released video
They include Hon. Ipoola Binuyo, Mr. Abiodun Oyaremi and lately, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare.
The duo of Binuyo and Oyaremi who until their resignations were Chief of Staff and Special Adviser on Special Duties respectively resigned over a year ago due to the same fate they suffered while working with the Minister.
Though, only the trio of Binuyo, Oyaremi and Olubodun’s resignation was made public, sources, however, informed that no fewer than seven aides of the minister have so far resigned their appointments in the last two years.
Investigations also revealed that almost all those who were initially appointed and those reappointed by Shittu in the last two years had either left or asked for redeployment.
It was learnt that the latest salary scandal involving Shittu and his aides started when Oluwadamilare met Shittu and demanded his salary in his office in Abuja last week.
A source close to the Minister revealed that the argument degenerated to a level that staff of the ministry had to wade in on the corridor of the ministry, when he wouldn’t allow the minister leave without his salary.
He said that this made the Minister to quickly disengage the former Oyo NUJ Chairman.
He added that the timely intervention of a former commissioner in the state who is also eyeing the governorship seat saved the day for both of them.
But, Shittu while responding to the allegations said he disengaged Oluwadamilare because he was working with his political enemies to defame him.
READ ALSO: We did not pay a dime for the release of Dapchi School girls – FG
The Minister described Oluwadamilare as someone who is not fit to be appointed as an aide, adding that since he was appointed, he has never contributed anything tangible to his progress politically.
Shittu said, “I disengaged him because he was conniving with my political enemies to defame me. He has been saying a lot of things. I have been tolerating him but when I discovered that he is not fit, I had to disengage him.
“I have paid him his money. I have paid him over 2 million Naira.
“He is a useless man, how can I pay an aide Five Hundred Thousand Naira when I don’t collect such? I told him his salary is One Hundred Thousand Naira. He is not productive, no human relations. He has not contributed anything for my campaign. He has gone abroad twice and collected estacode. Could he have gone without working with me?
www.sojworld.com © March 23, 2018
Leave a Reply