Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has debunked a report that he paid the convicted fraudster Abidemi Rufai who was his senior special assistant on special duties $50,000 per deal as a state appointee.
An online news platform had reported that prior to Mr Rufai’s arrest last year and conviction in the United States, Abiodun was paying Rufai $2,000 as his official salary as well as $50,000 cut meant for “introducing people” to him.
The platform claimed it was reported by Washington Post.
However, refuting the allegations, the chief press secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin, in a statement on Sunday, said Rufai never had any close relationship with the governor prior to his appointment.
The statement further faulted and denied the claims by the online medium that Rufai was being paid a $2,000 salary, which according to it is “outrageous and baseless.”
The statement read, “Salaries and wages of political office holders are fixed by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, adding that no member of the government is permitted to any other allowances not known to law.
“Records in the state never showed that Rufai, while serving in the state, brought a single investor or facilitated any investment from the United States of America, wondering how the former political aide would then be paid $50,000 for a deal that never took place.
“Bidemi Rufai was appointed as a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Housing and was nominated for appointment barely three months before he was arrested.
“He had not resumed formerly and had no official office to transact business. He wasn’t part of the Ogun State Economic Management Team and have got no input into the state government activities. His appointment was based on his activities in his ward. He didn’t sit in the State Executive Council meetings and couldn’t have had inputs in policies of the state government.
“The governor had no deal with Rufai on any transaction. He brought not a single one. They can check with the US embassy.”