Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Some aides working with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had their tags withdrawn on Wednesday as they reported for work and were ordered to leave the premises of the Presidential Villa.
This followed reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sack of 35 aides of the Vice President.
Some presidency sources confirm separately that the affected aides were handed their termination letter on Wednesday.
Some of the aides were said to have been approached at the gate by security personnel who seized their tags once they confirmed that their names were contained in the list of sacked aides apparently provided for them.
Some of the aides were said to have left their offices on their own to avoid being embarrassed.
An online medium had on Wednesday reported that Buhari approved the sack of at least 35 out of over 80 aides in the vice president’s office.
The affected aides, who were issued appointment letters in August, included some Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Personal Assistants and Technical Assistants.
Many of the Osinbajo’s aides had earlier been sent out from the villa and accommodated in various ministries and parastatals, which reduced their access to the villa.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, who had earlier promised to get back to Daily Sun to react to the story, did not as at the time of this report.
He said: “I read it just like others. I will like to find out what is happening.”
Another aide who spoke under the condition of anonymity said those who used to do jobs domiciled in the VP office have been posted to the newly created ministries that now handle their jobs.
He said using the word sack will amount to being speculative as no one can deduce what the presidency is doing with such actions.
He said those moved out are mainly those working on the social investment Programme of the government.
He explained that some of the appointees are being paid by donor agencies who atimes do request that their point man or woman work in the ministry relevant to the work they are doing.
Reports have been rife that since their re-election, Osinbajo has fallen out of favour with some persons tagged “the cabal” said to be undermining his authority, a situation which has been blamed for the dissolution and replacement of the Economic Management Team hitherto headed by the vice president.