Communication Minister, Aide’s Friction Takes A New Turn

The imbroglio between the Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu and his estranged Personal Assistant, Hon. Rasaq Olubodun, over unpaid 23 months accumulated salary took a new turn.

Adebayo Shittu

Earlier in the day, Tajudeen Kareem, who claimed to be the Minister’s Media Adviser while debunking Olubodun’s claims said “The claim that he is being owed 23 months accumulated salary is null and void, though he has since abandoned his work six months ago”.

Kareem’s reaction raises more questions and posers on the frosty relationship between the embattled minister and his erstwhile PA.

It was claimed by Kareem that the former PA has abandoned his duties six months ago. If this was true, was he given query at any time? If he was queried and his answers not satisfactory, he would have been sacked long before now. How could he have been allowed to remain on the job until he resigned his appointment only last week, with a threat to take legal actions to retrieve his accumulated salary and entitlements.
The other leg of Kareem’s argument that the cumulative entitlements of Hon.

Olubodun for the outstanding 23 months is N970,983.33, deriving from N42,216.66 monthly emolument raises a big poser.
How come that Kareem’s claimed that “Records at the Minister’s office shows that he was paid a cumulative sum of N1.5 million as salary”. The question arising from this is that: Is the Minister a Father Christmas to have paid his estranged PA an excess of N529,017?
In an interview with the SA Media to the Minister, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, on phone, he said’ Tajudeen Kareem is an interloper who does not understand the facts of the case between the PA the Communications Minister, hence he misrepresented the minister.’
‘Importantly, there is no designation of Media Adviser in the office of the Communications Minister, where I have worked for 23 months as a Special Assistant on Media.’
‘When issues like this arise, as they are bound to happen in human relationships, the best solution is not to play to the gallery. Rather, attempts must be made to effectively manage the disagreement which is already on course by well-meaning individuals to douse the tension generated by the furore. It should not be a vague attempt to advertise one’s ego or settle old scores, particularly when the issue at stake is between two brothers. ‘

‘I’m very optimistic of an amicable settlement in due course.’ He concluded.

NationalInsightNews