Sports Briefs
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THE Edo State government on Wednesday, June 15, described as untrue the claim that it was owing the late Amodu Shaibu, technical director, Nigeria Football Association, NFF, N25 million, saying he’s being owed only N8 million. A statement signed by Peter Okhiria, chief press secretary to the governor disputed the report in the media.
“Let us state from the onset that his death is a huge loss to Edo State and Nigeria. We are certain that no one can fill the void of the shoes left behind by Coach Shaibu. He was not just a proud Edo son but also a perfect gentleman, community leader among other callings. This is why he was invited to work with our young footballers after he was unceremoniously relieved of his appointment as coach having qualified Nigeria for the World Cup.
“We remain deeply pained by his very sudden and untimely death. The facts are the late Shaibu worked with the state government, on a fixed-term contract basis, as Consultant/Technical Adviser of Edo State Football Development Programme, a Football Academy established by the State Government to tap the talents of Edo youths and turn them into world stars.
“In deference to his pedigree, and having informed the governor of how he was shabbily treated by the Nigerian Football Federation after the World Cup qualification he helped secure for the nation, and also admitting that the new job to manage the State’s Football Academy had lesser attraction than the National team Coach job he had, Shaibu was placed on a monthly salary of N2 million, which is hundred percent better than what he was earning as coach of the national football team, and also making him the highest paid official of the Edo State Government.
“The said fixed-term contract was, however, not renewed on expiration based on the dwindling revenues and the necessary cuts in government spending. It is basic that a fixed-term contract ends automatically when the agreed end date is reached and the employer doesn’t have to give any notice. This means that a fixed-term contract is deemed terminated if not renewed.
“In spite of the fact that the said contract was not renewed, the late Amodu Shaibu continued to draw his monthly wage of N2 million until it was stopped by the Office of the Accountant General in June 2015, following the discovery after a staff biometric verification exercise. The late Amodu Shaibu thereafter tendered his ‘letter of resignation’ in September 2015, even when the said contract was not renewed and had been deemed terminated, following its non-renewal. However, on Wednesday, 8th June 2016, two days before his unfortunate death, the late Shaibu submitted a letter to the Secretary to Edo State Government, dated same day, claiming unpaid salaries for four months, totalling N8 million only.
“Although the late Shaibu’s contract had long expired even before his ‘Resignation Letter’ which ‘took effect’ from September 30, 2015, and even though Edo State government did not owe him unpaid wages as the contract was not renewed, the State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, however, approved his claim for N8 million, purely on compassionate grounds. It is therefore totally false and misleading that the State Government owed the late Amodu Shaibu the sum of N25 million. We, therefore, make bold to state that the contents of a letter in circulation, purportedly written by the late Shaibu Amodu, is patently false,” he said
— Jun 27, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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