A panel that was meant to unravel the alleged financial infractions in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) should not emanate from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. The reasons are not far-fetched. The clever unseat of a former Acting Managing Director of the Fund, Ismail Agaka and a few others that Ngige set up an Administrative panel of inquiry to investigate in 2018 was peopled by the Minister’s cronies in the same ministry. Investigations revealed that the Minister is using his position to recall ‘converted staff’ back into the Fund and rewarded them as soon as they showed remorse and readiness to be used to pull anyone the Minister does not want down. The investigative panel was set up by Ngige to investigate Ponkap Zwalda who was an officer in the Audit department, the current Acting Managing Director, Dr Kelly and Mrs Catherine Ugbe, head, ICT. Nigerians should ask Dr Ngige how the recommendations of the panel were implemented? What became of the implementation committee, which was headed by a former Permanent Secretary of the ministry? The recommendations of the report remain unknown till today. The report which was submitted to Ngige on the 18th July 2018 has not seen the light of day and the Presidency has kept mute over it with the fate of the suspended workers hanging in the balance two years after. Yet Ngige could sleep and snore resting on the pillows wet by the blood of those he made to cry. What happened to the humongous N62,358,401,927.80Kobo Ngige gleefully advertised in the media? Why the sudden quietness? What made him recall and rewarded probably after they took oath of allegiance knowing that Ngige’s home town is a stone-throw from Okija where oath taking is a standard practice. Ponkap Zwalda is back as the head of Audit so also is Dr Kelly, who was restored as General Manager, Occupational Health and Safety of NSITF and now fully rewarded as the Acting Managing Director of NSITF. With Ngige shoving aside the Acting President of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) away from the Investigative Panel, which is likely going to be used to remove non-loyalists within the Fund especially as Ngige does not see them as capable because he did not recommend them as ‘fit and proper’ people to lead the Fund, the stage is set for vendatta galore. The suspended officers have repeatedly said they are ready to be investigated by an independent panel of inquiry but not the one Ngige set up. This is why the people concerned are prepared to attend the committee empanelled by the House of Representatives with the Senate set to raise its own committee. Indeed, NSITF Board led by Austin Enajemo-Isire, did not had any problem with Chairman of the Finance Committee of the NSITF Board, Taiwo Adeniyi, who is the Acting President of NECA until Ngige kicked Enajemo-isire by the backside last week via a letter with reference number ML.HMO/LAB/126/iv/108 dated July 10, 2020, to let Isire know that NECA Acting President has not been cleared by security agencies after one year in the saddle and after attending several board meetings. Why? Because Ngige does not want unloyal person (S) or organisarion be a part of the panel. The scheme is clear – to get NECA far away from the panel because of the no-nonsense posture of its Director General, Dr Tim Olawale. The Committee, who the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry inaugurated on Ngige’s behalf, has President of NULGE, Ibrahim Khaleel as chairman. Other members of the panel included the director, Occuptional Safety and Health in the ministry, Dr Ifeoma Ayanwutaku; director, Human Resources at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Umma Dutse; Director, Organisation Design and Development, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Mr B. Omogo; Director, Monitoring department, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Muhammed Katun; Director of Audit, Office of the Auditor General Office, Nicolas Mtemave; Director, Procurement, ministry of labour, Dr Onwusoro Maduka; Director, Human Resources, National Productivity Centre, Mrs E. Ogriki, who serves as the secretary of the panel.
