
…Set Committee to probe Minister
The House of Representatives Tuesday berated the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige for the suspension of the top Management and Executive Committee members of the Nigeria Social insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) describing it as a breach of presidential directives.
The House consequently set up an ad-hoc Committee to investigate the procedural breaches of the Presidential directives by both the Ministers of Labour & Employment and his counterpart in Power over alleged breach in procurement procedures.
The Committee chaired by Mariam Onuoha (APC, Imo) is to also probe the
financial malpractices and malfeasance by these Ministries and report back to the House within one week.
These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Leke Abejide (PDP, Kogi) at plenary.
Presenting the motion, Abejide said the Minister of Labour and Employment by a letter dated 1 July 2020 signed by him, purportedly conveyed the directive of Mr. President to suspend from office, the entire Management of NSITF for “prima facie infractions on the financial regulation and Procurement Act.
According to him, the members of the NSlTF were variously and collectively appointed into the position at the pleasure of Mr. President who has approved a laid down procedure for removal of Executives of Government Parastatals.
Leke said a Presidential directive circular of 19th May 2020 issued by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated that the Procedure contained in the circular is a mandatory guide and all Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and any other public officer in similar supervisory positions are enjoined to strictly abide by its content.
He argued that no Minister is procedurally empowered to remove the executive of any agency under any guise including suspension but Ngige in this case constituted himself into the sole authority thereby, by passing all the stated procedures as approved by the President to convey suspension of these officers.

The lawmaker further said: ”In confirmation of the unilateral decision of the Hon. Minister, that the Nigeria Employers‘ Consultative Association (NECA) an institutional stakeholder in the NSITF representing 90% of the contributors to the Fund and a member of the Board of the Fund by its letter of 3th July to the Minister and the advertorial in the Dailies of 6th July 2020 lend its voice to the arbitrariness of the action of the Minister confirming the fact that though the Board was duly constituted and inaugurated by the Honourable Minister In line with the Act governing the Fund.
”The Board was not informed nor was it aware of the allegations of the infractions levelled against the Management. The suspension is in total disregard of the well publicized disciplinary procedures approved by the President and released by the SGF. In the event where the management is to be disciplined and or suspended, this should have been done by a resolution of the Board of the Fund and channeled through the office of the SGF”.
Leke stressed that the incessant flagrant disobedience of presidential directives as witnessed recently with the actions of the Ministers of Labour and Employment and his counterpart in Power, leaves room for potential breaches of laid down rules and procedure, thereby making the government look unserious before the general public.
Contributing to the motion, James Faleke (APC, Lagos) alleged that the suspension of NSITF management was to allow the Minister have access to the budget of the agency in which he inserted about N2 billion projects and single handedly got his wife who work in the office of the Head of Service to sign a letter granting him permission to hire insurance brokers for the fund.
In his contribution, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) said from the outcome of his investigation on NSITF which is yet to be considered by the House, he can conclude that the present Chairman of the NSITF board is a crony of the Minister.
Soli argued that the Minister (Ngige) refused to inaugurate Frank Kokori as Chairman of the Board even after his appointment by the President because of his realisation that Kokori will not allow corrupt practices in the agency.
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