Razaq Olubodun and Victor Oluwadamilare, former aides of Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communication, have sued him for allegedly diverting their salaries and allowances totalling N21 million.
Olubodun, who was former personal assistant, and Oluwadamilare, former special assistant media, accused Shittu of denying them their allowances amounting to N9.8 million for 24 months and N11.7 million for 28 months respectively, while they served him.
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Shittu was accused by the former aides of applying intimidation, harassment, draconian and Machiavellian approach and threatening to take them to the court where he would ensure they were frustrated and would still not pay them the salaries in contention each time they demanded their rights while serving under him.
They claimed they had been subjected to immense suffering, ridicule and untold hardship as a result of the denial of their rights by the minister.
In a suit filed by their counsel, Adewale Lawal, before the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court. They are asking the court to declare that the non-payment of full salaries and allowances to them for those periods as wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional and that the minister should be ordered to pay them their unpaid salaries and allowances according to the Federal Government’s directive for payment of aides to the minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
While Olubodun claimed he received just N1 million from the minister all through his period of service; Oluwadamilare claimed he was paid thrice to the tune of N2.3 million in his 28 months of service under the minister, alleging that the defendant collected all salaries and allowances belonging to them from the FGN but refused to forward or remit same to them.
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Equally, the claimants are asking for an order on the defendant to pay the sum of N50 million to each of them as aggravated damages and to also pay them their full taxed costs of the prosecution of the suits.
The claimants recalled that a circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, dated 27th July, 1999, indicated in paragraph 1a that the salaries of PAs and SAs to ministers were Grade Levels 12 and 16, steps 4 respectively.
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