Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, engaged in a war of words on Monday over unpaid severance allowances to political appointees from the previous administration.
This dispute arose following an appeal from the former political appointees to Governor Abiodun, urging him to address their unpaid allowances.
Governor Abiodun, through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Hon Kayode Akinmade, directed the appointees to blame Amosun for their predicament.
Akinmade responded to a publication where the forum blamed Governor Abiodun for the nonpayment of their severance allowances. He asserted that holding Governor Abiodun responsible was an act of blackmail and mischief.
According to Akinmade, it was Amosun, not the incumbent governor, who was responsible for the nonpayment, having excluded his special assistants from the severance arrangement before leaving office.
Akinmade stated, “It is disheartening that the Abia State government has now validated our positions that our market is saturated with substandard steel products, with its revelation that the preliminary reports have attributed the building collapse to the possible usage of substandard building materials and poor supervision of work at the site.”
He added that Governor Abiodun could not pay the former special assistants because their former boss had already decided who was entitled to the allowance.
He advised the affected former political appointees to blame Amosun for this act of callousness and insensitivity and to appeal to Governor Abiodun for possible redress on compassionate grounds.
Akinmade’s statement reads: “It has been proven several times without contradiction by stakeholders and political watchers alike in Ogun State that the greatest distinction between former Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the incumbent, Prince Dapo Abiodun, is simply a penchant for vendetta by Amosun, while Abiodun is compassionate without animosity.”
“It is therefore unbelievable that some former political appointees, under the auspices of former Special Assistants during Ibikunle Amosun’s administration, could accuse Governor Dapo Abiodun of nonpayment of their severance allowances.”
He continued, “It is obvious that these individuals are either playing to the gallery or being carelessly mischievous, knowing full well that Dapo Abiodun, by his nature, orientation, and background, would never abuse power, irrespective of who or what is involved, a virtue he has demonstrated many times to the astonishment of many.”
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Akinmade clarified, “Ibikunle Amosun, at the point of his exit as the Governor of the State and upon the recommendation by the then Secretary to the State Government, paid severance allowances to all his Commissioners, Special Advisers, and Senior Special Assistants, against protocol and extant law, and deliberately left his Special Assistants out of this arrangement.”
In response, Lanre Akinwale, a media aide to Amosun, advised Governor Abiodun to stop the blame game regarding the unpaid severance allowances.
Akinwale described the statement from Abiodun as part of a campaign of calumny against Amosun’s person and administration.
“It is beyond logical reasoning and common sense that a government that has spent more than five years in office would still shy away from its statutory responsibilities to the people of Ogun State,” Akinwale said.
He added, “It is high time the present administration in Ogun State cured itself of the pull-him-down syndrome it is suffering from. Who God has lifted up, no amount of politicking and deliberate attacks can bring down.
Amosun has served the people of Ogun State selflessly, passionately, and committedly. His legacies are still noticeable across the nooks and crannies of the state, spanning different sectors.”
Akinwale further stated, “The Dapo Abiodun-led government needs to be woken from their slumber and be reminded that Amosun, during his administration, also paid the severance benefits of political appointees who served during the administration of his predecessor.
Amosun did not ask the affected appointees to resort to begging, appeasing, worshipping, and bootlicking him; he paid it voluntarily, knowing fully well that government is a continuum, and he considered it part of his responsibility to the affected people for their service.”
“It is sad and unthinkable that the present administration would direct the affected appointees to Amosun after detailed information about his government was presented in the form of a handover note to the present administration five years ago.
It is obvious that the present administration deliberately refused to pay the severance of the past appointees just because they served with Amosun. Isn’t this a vendetta?”
“Time is ticking away. We will only advise the present administration to stop the politicking, blame game, and pull-him-down syndrome. Rather, it should concentrate on delivering good governance,” Akinwale concluded.
