On Sunday, the Ogun State administration claimed that during his brief tenure as Governor Dapo Abiodun’s special assistant, Bidemi Rufai failed to bring any commercial concerns to the state.
The state government also refuted a news story that said Rufai received $2,000 per year as a governor’s adviser.
People’s Gazette, an online news source, said that Governor Abiodun was paying Rufai $50,000 each time he introduced someone to him, in addition to a $2,000 weekly income.
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by Governor Abiodun’s chief press secretary, Kunle Somorin, it was revealed that Rufai, who the governor nominated as his Senior Special Assistant on Housing, had never previously cultivated a close bond with the governor.
Somorin claims that Rufai, like other governor’s assistants, was nominated for the position by his ward and not as a result of any special favours given to the governor during his 2019 gubernatorial elections.
The letter also criticised and refuted the online publication’s assertions that Rufai was receiving a $2,000 salary, calling it “outrageous and unfounded.”
According to Somorin, the National Salaries, Income and Pay Commission sets the salaries and wages of those in political office, and no member of the government is allowed to receive any other allowances not covered by the law.
In addition, Somorin questioned how the former political aide could have received $50,000 for a contract that never materialised and said that documents in the state never indicated that Rufai had ever brought or facilitated any investment from the United States of America while serving in the state.
“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,” the statement added.
Somorin added that Governor Abiodun, who upholds the law and values the rule of law, quickly suspended Rufai following his arrest for fraud in the US and later terminated his appointment, even before the US court found him guilty of the offence.
He pointed out that the country’s present election season is a favourable moment for dishonest politicians to attack or support assaults against their rivals, which explains the timing of the made-up narrative.
He claimed that the governor’s political adversaries would try to use the Rufai controversy to damage his reputation because they are unsatisfied with his rising profile, particularly in light of the significant increase in foreign investment and infrastructure development in Ogun State.
Governor Abiodun would like not to be bothered by the report and would rather keep focused on his aim to place Ogun as the nation’s top investment destination, according to Somorin, who urged the people of the state to reject the research as a mere “attention-seeking” gambit.
The governor will continue to be just, fair, accountable, and equitable in the distribution of facilities across the state, the speaker continued, adding that Prince Abiodun would not be sidetracked by the antics of political trolls in and outside of Ogun.
He also advised journalists, particularly those who work online, to be aware of their significant social roles and to avoid engaging in “bread and butter journalism.”
