Era of Looting Without Fear at NSITF Gone—Ngige

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Chris Ngige, has charged the new board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) to abhor corruption as the era of looking at the agency was gone for good.

Mr Ngige, while inaugurating the board on Tuesday in Abuja, said the new team must live down the past and lead a rewarding change in the fortunes of the NSITF.

He also charged the members to work to reposition and revitalise the organisation to fulfil its mandate in accordance with the Act establishing it.

The Minister also directed that procurement in the organisation must be done in accordance with Procurement Act 2007, Finance Act 2000, Financial Regulation and extant government circulars, especially on the threshold of procurement items.

“Ladies and gentlemen, on your shoulders lies the burden of untying this organization from the tethers of stagnation. We must live down the past and lead a rewarding change in the fortunes of the NSITF.

“The years of the locust are now over. The era of looting of N48 billion without a single voucher is gone for good,” Mr Ngige was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Deputy Director Press and Head of Public Relations at the Ministry, Mr Charles Akpan.

The Minister also appealed to the members to adhere strictly to “the statutory conditions of service and remunerations for board members approved by the Minister as enshrined in the NSITF Act.”

He expressed optimism that the new management would steer the ship of the organisation well enough for it to perform creditably its principal mandate, which is implementing the Employee Compensation Act (ECA 2010).

The ECA 2020, according to him, provides for “a fair, guaranteed and adequate compensation for all insured employees in case of any injury, disease, disability or even death arising out of or in the course of work.”

The new management is required to forward a quarterly and annual report of its performance to the Ministry of Labour of Employment.

The inaugurated members of the management board of the NSITF were Dr Akabogu, Michael (Managing Director/Chief Executive); Mrs Akinwale, Caroline Temitope (Executive Director, Finance and Investment); Mrs Allagoa, Maureen (Executive Director, Administration); and Mr Gana, Modu (Executive Director,  Operations).

Others were nominal members comprising Mrs Lauretta Adogu, Director, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, to represent Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Alhaji Najeem Yasin, Deputy President,  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), representative.

Chairman of the board of NSITF, Mr Austin Enajemo Isire, in his remarks, commended the members of the team for standing firm and accepting to serve.