Perhaps because every year, the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is one of those organizations where companies – mine inclusive – have to scramble to make payments in order to maintain full bonafides in the eyes of the law, news coming out of that organization jumps at me.
For some reasons, my mind strayed to NSITF Saturday morning and my hi chat with a friend there only came back with ‘5n’ (for fine perhaps). I didn’t know the place was already on some sort of fire.
Later on in the day, I saw news that President Buhari had approved for the summary suspension (they never come back as we well know), of the entire management team of the NSITF. In fact, this time it looked like a clean sweep more than ever! Bayo Somefun, the debonair MD and RCCG Pastor (therefore the VP’s protégé at least) was prominent. That is a takedown at a very high level. The other EDs too, including young Jasper Azuatalam, who is reputedly close to President Buhari. All were taken out. In fact I started hearing names of deputy general managers! What could have happened this time? How come all of them fell short of the glory of the president?
Well, this is what we gleaned from the Premium Times of 3rd July, 2020. “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate and indefinite suspension from Office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Adebayo Somefun.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in a statement by Charles Akpan of the Press and Public Relations in the ministry, named other officers suspended to include Jasper Ikedi-Azuatalam, Executive Director (ED), Finance and Investment, and Olukemi Nelson, ED, Operations.
Also suspended are Tijani Darazo Sulaiman, ED, Administration, Olusegun Olumide-Bashorun, General Manager, Administration/Human Resources/Maintenance, and Lawan Tahir, General Manager, Finance.
Others asked to go are Chris Esedebe, General Manager, Claims and Compensation, Olodotun Adegbite, Deputy General Manager, Investment and Treasury Management, and Emmanuel Enyinnaya-Sike, Deputy General Manager, Finance and Accounts… The minister said their suspension from office arose from the “preliminarily established prima facie infractions on the extant Financial Regulations and Procurement Act, and other acts of gross misconduct… During the period of their suspension, the officers will face a Joint Board and Audit Investigative Panel that had been set up to look into the financial and procurement breaches, as well as gross misconduct in the NSITF from 2016 to date.
Honestly, this latest crisis and the accompanying statement, is no less than a corporate massacre, to say the least, with all sorts of malignant statements and implications, for a management of a Nigerian institution that seem to have been properly constituted by a sitting president, serving concurrently! It is beyond bizarre. Usually, if indeed that place is an irredeemable cesspit of fraud under current leadership, the president should be dignified to only target the top guy while other smaller issues are being sorted out. I mean, why put a whole president’s imprimatur and then speak about the suspension of DGMs!? Or is this just another of our diminutive Minister’s many wahalas? Who knows? We know the man’s many ways. However, this very take down was specific. The sum of N3.4Billion is alleged to be missing – spent on non-existing training.
Meanwhile there has been a pushback. It’s tough to know who to believe these days. In the Vanguard of July 4th, 2020 the sitting management dismissed the Minister (I would have said they dismissed the president since the statement suspending them from Ngige’s office claim to have presidential full approval). Hear the management, which has since been supported by at least NECA (National Employment Consultative Assembly);
“The Management of NSITF read the press release published by some media outfits that the President has suspended the management of NSITF and announced same. “We wish to state that President Muhammadu Buhari has not suspended the management of NSITF and did not make such announcement. The person mentioned in the media report is not a staff of the President. For clarity, we need to mention that we received a letter from the Hon Minister of Labour and Employment Sen Chris Ngige stating that he is doing a procurement audit on NSITF and that Management is suspended. “We note that the Minister’s action is against President Buhari’s directive through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that stated clearly that no Minister should suspend or sack any head of agency appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari. “The memo stated that Ministers should follow procedures by going through the governing board of the agency that will now make recommendations to the SGF to act if there is need. We are sure that President Buhari will not be part of any illegality and lack of due process. “Meanwhile, the management of NSITF is open to any form of investigation by the appropriate agency as there is nothing that the management will hide or is hiding. “We have been in receipt of several letters by the minister and several petitions written against NSITF by the Minister of Labour, Sen Chris Ngige and we will make all communications available to the public and relevant authorities. “The Management of NSITF is still discharging its duty as appointed by Mr President.”
