Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma has maintained sealed lips over the January 2024 salaries of his aides he sacked at the middle of the month.
Sources revealed that the body language of the governor points towards paying the ousted aides for only 10 days of the month in spite of the fact that they had worked for more than half of the month.
The constitution provides that such sacked appointees must not only be paid their severance allowances but also a full month salary.
“We wonder why the governor is keeping mute over the January salary. But of greater surprise is the insinuation within government circle that the sacked aides will be entitled to only 10 days of their salaries even when they had worked for more than half of the month before they were laid off. In law, if you have worked for half a month, you are entitled to the full month salary,” says a government official.
Another thing raising dust within Government House Owerri is whether Gov Uzodimma will allow the former aides to keep their official vehicles.
Former Governor Ikedi Ohakim allowed appointees of his predecessor, Chief Achike Udenwa to go home with their official vehicles and also paid severance allowances to Udenwa’s appointees.
But former Governor Rochas Okorocha didn’t allow the aides of Ohakim the same ‘luxury’ of going with their official vehicles as he retrieved such vehicles.
Okorocha also refused to pay severance allowances but was forced to do so by the court.
