Edo not owing Amodu N25m unpaid salaries

Alexander Okere, Benin

The Edo State Government has debunked media reports that it was owing a former coach of the Super Eagles, the late Shuaibu Amodu, unpaid salaries to tune of N25 million.
It also described the letter said to have been written by the late coach and the claims therein as “patently false”.

The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation died last Saturday at his residence in Benin and was buried later that day at his hometown in Okpella, according to Islamic rites.
It was, however, learnt that he had written a letter to state government ‎demanding the payment of his financial entitlement as well as those of the workers in the academy, which amounted N25 million. ‎‎

But the state government, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Peter Okhiria, on Wednesday evening explained that the late football tactician was employed on a “fixed-term contract basis” as Consultant and Technical Adviser of the Edo State Football Development Programme, a football academy established by the state government to tap into the talents of Edo youths shape them into international stars.
‎It noted that the ex-Eagles coach was placed on a monthly salary of two million naira, which according to the statement, “is hundred per cent 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”.
According to the statement, the said fixed-term contract was, however, not renewed “on the expiration based on the dwindling revenues and the necessary cuts in government spending”.
It read, “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.”
It added, “However, on Wednesday, June 8, 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.
“We, therefore, make bold to state that the contents of a letter in circulation, purportedly written by the late Shaibu Amodu, is patently false. The letter contains claims that have no bearing with the financial transactions of Edo State Government.
The state government also denied owing any of the staff.
It said, “All workers, from lowest to the highest paid, including committee members are enrolled in our Oracle-based payment system and we do not owe anyone.”
“While we still mourn the unfortunate demise of this great Edo son and Nigerian, whose death has left a deep hole in our hearts and who contributed immensely to Sports development in Edo State, this clarification has become necessary to put an end to the misinformation and outright falsehood being peddled by political hawks who want to benefit from Amodu Shaibu’s death by portraying the State Government in bad light.”‎