Posted by This Day Online on
Vice President Atiku Abubakar has offered automatic employment to all his aides and advisers who were recently sacked by Presidential Olusegun Obasanjo.
Vice President Atiku Abubakar has offered automatic employment to all his aides and advisers who were recently sacked by Presidential Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku has deployed all the aides to his Campaign Office in Abuja where they are expected to handle different aspects of his campaign for the Presidency in 2007. Some of the aides have since assumed duty.
"You are not going to lose a kobo of what the Presidency was paying you before your disengagement", Atiku told them at a meeting this week in Abuja.
"I am not going to allow any of you to suffer. I know you have families who depend on you for their survival. By the Grace of Allah, they will not suffer," Atiku assured them.
It would be recalled that President Obasanjo last month sacked eight of the Vice President's remaining 11 aides, leaving behind only three (3). Those sacked were Prof. Mike Kwanashie, Economic Adviser, Dr. Andrew Okolie, Senior Special Assistant Programme and Policy Monitoring, Mr. Nath Yaduma, Special Assistant, Group Interest, Mr. Yima Sen, Special Assistant Programme and Policy Monitoring, Dr. Umar Ardo, Special Assistant, Political Affairs, Dr. Ajuji Ahmed, Special Assistant, Economic Affairs, Mrs. Tokunbo Adeola, Special Assistant, Economic Affairs, and Mr. Phil Agbasi, Special Assistant, Political Affairs.
The President had earlier sacked other aides of the Vice President such as Dr. Adeolu Akande, Special Assistant, Research and Publicity, Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba, Senior Special Assistant, Public Communication, Mr. Chris Mammah, Senior Special Assistant, Special Duties, Shima Ayati, Special Assistant, Special Duties, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Senior Special Assistant, Programme and Policy Monitoring, Brigadier General Jafaru Isa, Special Assistant, Political Affairs and Garba Shehu, Special Assistant, Media and Publicity.
The Vice President now has Deputy Chief of Staff, Sola Akanmode, Legal Adviser, Maxwell Gidado and Political Adviser, Professor A.D. Yahaya to run an office that was once run by twenty-two (22) aides.