Connect with us

Featured

Nationwide Strike Looms Over N30bn NSITF Fraud

Published

on

By Ozioma Ubabukoh

Nigerians should brace for a nationwide strike as workers have bemoaned the Federal Government’s attitude over the N30bn fraud allegedly perpetuated by the last Board of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund and have threatened to down tools soon.

According to labour unions in the country, the NSITF, set up to bring succour to the working class, has been looted over the years and it has not been able to fulfil the reason for its establishment.

Trouble started for a former Managing Director of the NSITF, Umar Abubakar, and his co-defendants, (some of who are former board members and current staff of the Fund), when a whistle-blower petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accusing them of abusing their positions to divert public funds running into billions of naira.

Acting on the petition, EFCC operatives investigated the allegations and it was alleged that between 2012 and 2015, the accused received kickbacks in dollars while discharging their duties “and conspired to divert about N18bn, being contribution from the Federal Government as take-off grants and Employees Compensation Scheme for Ministries, Departments and Agencies.”

The EFCC said the money was diverted into personal accounts by an e-payment mandate. The offence is said to contravene Section 311 of the Penal Code cap 532 LFN (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 312 of the same code.

The United Labour Congress called on the administrative panel of enquiry recently set up by the Ministry of Labour and Employment to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged looting of the funds, and insisted that the government must bring the culprits to book “or risk a nationwide strike from all the labour unions in the country.”

In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, the General Secretary, ULC, Didi Adodo, said, “The ULC wishes to state categorically that we support this probe and any other action that the minister will take to sanitise the industry and make the NSITF to fulfil the aims and objectives of its existence.

“Hearing about the rot and the plundering that has taken place in that agency is enough for any right-thinking organisation and comrades to support a major probe that will not only unearth what has taken place, but to also bring the perpetrators to justice.”

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in line with a presidential directive, had recently inaugurated all the boards of parastatals under the ministry except that of the NSITF due to the alleged fraud discovered in the agency.

The boards inaugurated by the minister are those of the National Productivity Centre, National Directorate of Employment, and Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in October 2017 constituted the Board of the NSITF with the former President of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Chief Frank Kokori, as the chairman.

Giving reasons why the board was not inaugurated alongside others, Ngige said he had the consent of the President to stay action on the NSITF board pending the outcome of the administrative panel of enquiry set up by the ministry “to investigate the mindless looting of the agency.”

He urged members of the other boards inaugurated to be accountable in the discharge of their mandates to avoid a repeat of the rot in the NSITF.

Ngige said, “The operations of the various parastatals must strictly conform to financial regulations, especially Section 32 of the Procurement Act. The audited accounts of the parastatals must always be prepared and submitted to the relevant authorities as and when due.

“The NSITF, for example, is reeling from massive looting with no audited accounts for five years. A whooping sum of N5bn was unearthed by an audit panel of enquiry as having been taken out of the NSITF coffers with First Bank in a single day without vouchers.”

The minister added, “Worse still, the organisation maintained no cash book as required by financial regulations. This resulted in massive looting of funds by board members acting in concert with the management staff.

“When we say N5bn was taken in one day, that’s not the only amount missing. Over N30bn cannot be accounted for and the members of the past board participated actively in the looting.”

Adodo, however, said that members of the ULC hoped that after the probe, “the NSITF will be put in proper shape to deliver on its mandate.”

“We call on the government to do a detailed investigation about the fraud in the NSITF and Trustfund, as no stone should be left unturned. These two bodies have workers’ funds, their life savings and, in this era of the fight against corruption, there should be no sacred cow,” he added.

The ULC Deputy President, Igwe Achese, who shared Adodo’s views, demanded to know the roles that the representatives of labour and private sector on the board of the NSITF played in the alleged fraud.

He said, “The probe should be extended to the board members that served in the last tenure and they should be arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and relevant security agencies for prosecution. We need to know the roles and actions of all the board members, including representatives of labour when the fraudulent activities took place, as they were supposed to represent workers’ interest.

“If the representatives of labour were involved, Nigerian workers should rise up against the board members for not protecting their hard-earned life savings.”

Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress represented the organised labour on the NSTIF board, but when our correspondent contacted some of them, they declined speaking on the matter.

One of them said, “You know those who represented us on the board. Why not reach out to them.”

Achese said that the board members from the organised labour did not do well in protecting the workers’ savings, “which led to the high magnitude of fraud and embezzlement.”

“Therefore, they should be made to face the wrath of the law,” he added.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured

Oyo Tops List of Out-of-School Girls in SouthWest – NGO

Published

on

By

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Black Girls’ Dream Initiative (BGDI), has revealed that one in five girls of school age in Oyo State is not in school, making the State the highest with out-of-school children in South-western Nigeria.

The BGDI, in association with some education stakeholders in the State, made this known in Ibadan on Wednesday during a sensitisation workshop organised by the NGO, in partnership with Global Schools Forum and the IDF Foundation, and themed ‘Girls’ education in Oyo State: Our shared goal’.

The founder of BGDI, Karimot Odebode, described the number of out-of-school children in Oyo State as alarming and as a crisis that has to be urgently curbed by the government, schools, parents, traditional rulers, and other vital stakeholders in the state.

Odebode noted that though the government and other stakeholders are trying their best to send and keep children, especially the girl-child, in school, barriers such as poverty, early marriage, family responsibilities, and cultural expectations are marring their efforts.

Given this, she added that NGOs, such as BGDI, are working to reverse this trend by spotlighting the problem, engaging decision-makers, and opening doors for re-entry into the classroom because every girl deserves a second chance at learning.

She stated that BGDI, in its quest to ensure that more girls get quality education and remain in school, is aligning local education data with the challenges; collaborating with stakeholders to identify, engage, and reintegrate out-of-school girls; encouraging trackable reduction in dropout rates; and increasing enrolment, especially in underserved local governments in the State.

Odebode urged the government, schools, and parents to empower girls as future leaders. She explained how her organisation is doing this through their debate, mentorship programmes, sensitisation initiatives, and stakeholders’ workshops.

“We should make sure children are not just returning to school, but are returning with confidence, agency, and a sense of purpose; and also make sure we initiate and sustain long-term developmental impact that builds self-driven, educated citizens,” she said.

She further said: “We are the enablers of change. We need to move from conversation to action. Change happens when stakeholders act together. What we do today shapes the data tomorrow.”

The stakeholders, in the course of the workshop, identified and offered solutions to the main problems facing the girl-child’s education in Oyo State.

The Baale Sinko of Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, Adeleke Waheed Mobolaji, and the Mogaji of Ogundele Compound, Labiran, Ibadan, Chief Ogunsina Oluseyi Oladebo emphasised that the government cannot train the girl-child alone and that the bulk of the training and education girls starts from the home, stressing that to encourage girls to go to school, their mothers needs to be properly empowered.

The two Ibadan-based traditional rulers, Adeleke and Oladabo, also urged society to support less-privileged students, especially girls, in their education, to ensure that no child of school age will be on the street hawking, idling, or committing crime, instead of being in school.

Some of the teachers and parents at the event, M. C. Ebike, Janet Adio, Fausat Boladale, Rejoice Adegoke, O. O. Ogundare, Peace Akinola, Dorcas Oyinloye, stressed that the security of female students in schools is important, and special attention should be given to them to encourage them to attend and remain in school.

They urged schools and teachers to be kind and proactive while dealing with female students, which will encourage them to learn. Furthermore, they advised the government to recruit trained and passionate teachers and empower them with the best resources to ensure students are inspired to return to school.

Opeyemi Lawal of Project Wabi Sabi, Adetokunbo Ikumoluyi of Hosec Foundation, and Opeyemi Adebisi of Teach for Nigeria stated that NGOs and governments have a lot to do to keep students in school, adding that the out-of-school challenge facing Oyo State could be addressed through sustainable partnership, investment in education, parents’ and guardians’ sensitisation, and students’ empowerment.

The convener of the event, Karimot Odebode, stated that the feedback and recommendations from the stakeholders regarding the theme and outcome of the sensitisation workshop will be submitted to the appropriate government authorities for policy formulation and implementation.

Continue Reading

Featured

Again, Gunmen Attack Plateau Communities, Kill 13, Raze Houses

Published

on

By

No fewer than 13 persons – mostly children and the elderly – have again been reported killed and houses burnt in Juwan and Manja communities of Bokkos and Mangu local government areas of Plateau State.

They were alleged to have been killed by armed herders.

The deadly attack on Juwan in the Tangur District of Bokkos Local Government Area occurred on Thursday night, with 10 persons killed and some others sustaining serious injuries.

In Manja, Chafem Chiefdom of Mangu Local Government Area, three persons were reportedly killed on Thursday evening.

They were on the farm tilling the grounds and tending their farmland when the attackers caught them unaware and killed them. Others escaped with injuries after the intervention of security operatives following a distress call from those who escaped the onslaught.

Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Council, Amalau Samuel, confirmed the tragic incident, describing it as barbaric and inhuman.

“The attackers came late at night and started killing innocent people. They were going from house to house, and where they could not gain entrance, they broke through the ceiling,” the LG boss said.

“Those affected mostly are the aged and children who could not run, while those agile fled for safety.”

The terrorists in the other attack in Manja, Chafem Kingdom of Mangu, killed three persons on the farm with over twenty houses burnt before the intervention of security operatives.

A member representing Mangu South in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Mathew Kwarpo, said the terrorists invaded the community and killed three persons before they were repelled by security men in conjunction with the youths.

According to the parliamentarian, the marauders later launched another attack that day, during which they burned down over twenty houses.

Kwarpo said that due to the attackers’ large number, the people of the community had to flee for safety, though no casualty was recorded.

“In the second attack, there was no casualty, but the people are already displaced.  So, we are appealing to both the state and Federal governments to come to our aid.

“The attacks in recent times on our communities are just too much. Anytime they issued notice of an attack, they would fulfill it.

“The security men are no doubt trying their best, but they are being overpowered. This is a calculated attempt to seize our land from us and to occupy our land illegally. So we are calling on President Tinubu to intervene,” he said.

Some communities in Bokkos, Bassa, and Mangu local government areas of Plateau State have been under increased attacks from suspected herdsmen in recent times.

This has resulted in the loss of lives and property.

Continue Reading

Featured

Tinubu Throws Shade at El-Rufai, Says Kaduna No Longer Toxic Under Uba Sani

Published

on

By

President Bola Tinubu has publicly criticised a former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, describing his administration as toxic.

Tinubu said this during the unveiling of the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development in Rigachikun and a 300-bed hospital in Millennium City, on Thursday.

“Uba Sani has performed wonders and changed the environment from a previous toxic, uncontrollable environment to a state of life, progress, and development. I say thank you, my comrade,” Tinubu declared to applause.

It marks the first time the president has directly responded to the growing tension between him and El-Rufai, who recently dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following months of political friction.

El-Rufai, once seen as a Tinubu ally, fell out with the president after the Senate refused to confirm his ministerial nomination.

In a series of public outbursts, El-Rufai accused Tinubu of betrayal, and even linked the president to several allegations.

Continue Reading

Trending