Rasaq Olubodun, on Wednesday, prayed the National Industrial Court to order his former boss, former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, to pay him N50million as aggravated and general damage.
Olubodun who was a Personal Assistant (PA), to Shittu is also seeking for the payment of his unpaid salaries and allowances for some months in the 24 months he worked, NAN reports.
He said the unpaid salaries ought to be according to Federal Government guidelines for payment of PAs to Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He is also seeking a declaration that the non-payment of his salaries is wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional.
Olubodun, in addition, is seeking an order directing the defendant to pay him the cost of prosecuting the suit.
When the matter came up before Justice Benedict Kanyip on Wednesday, the claimant’s counsel, Mr Adewale Lawal informed the court that the matter was for mention.
The defense counsel, Mr Oluwafemi Davies-Awe on his part said that they had filed two processes before the court.
He said there was an application for preliminary objection and another to regularize their processes.
Davies-Awe then proceeded to move the motion for the applications. He was however stopped by the judge who said the matter just came up for mention and that he could not move a motion for any application yet.
Kanyip, therefore, adjourned the matter, having been mentioned until Nov. 13 for hearing.
News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that the claimant, Olubodun in his statement of facts said from the time he was appointed as a PA on Nov. 23,2015 until his resignation on Oct.30, 2017, he was paid the sum of N1 million once.
He further alleged that his outstanding salary of N9.8 million was yet to be paid at the rate of N450, 000 per month.
He said every effort made to make the defendant pay the salary even to the extent of writing to the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari through a “Save our Soul” open letter failed.
The claimant also his protest over the non-payment of his salaries in a national daily newspaper on Oct. 18,2017 did not yield any result, hence his seeking redress in the court.
NAN reports also that the claimant’s statement of facts revealed that his salary as a PA was appropriated for in the defendant’s monthly salary which the Federal Government paid to him every month as a Minister.
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