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Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has been called to question over the “bloated” price tag on the electronic Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (e-NSITF).
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Federal Government (FG) had approved phase two of the e-NSITF, concessionaire to upgrade the infrastructure for N15 billion.
A coalition of over 25 civil society groups called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor the handling of the platform by the Minister.
The coalition under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society for Public Service Accountability & Good Governance (CCSPSAG) in Abuja said: “The price tag on e-NSITF is bloated and it is a company fronting for Ngige that is handling the project.
“All is to defraud the organization before he leaves office and also to continue to settle himself even after he has left the government”.
The Convener of the coalition, Comrade Danjuma Caleb Ure, who signed the statement, said: “The Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige has taken his corruption and impunity to an unimaginable level of ignorance.
“How can a sitting Minister be handling a concessionaire of infrastructure for a parastatal whose major contribution is from a private organization that is meant for employees’ compensation in case of injury and death”.
According to him: “NECA [Nigeria Employers Consultative Association] was not carried along in this inglorious journey of Ngige led Management.
“The EFCC and ICPC are put on notice that at the last NSITF Management Board meeting, e-NSITF was not approved. The Minister using his position took it under the cover of amendments of Labour law for approval.
“The Labour law he decided to bring up at the twilight stage of this administration is laughable. The so-called Minister that refused his handpicked Management Executives to pay 2 months staff salary is now fighting for 15 billion his own retirement package under the cover of e-NSITF.
“Ngige is bent on paying the contractor handling e-NSITF. With this Minister of Labour, Nigerians have never had it so bad like this. All the organisations under his watch are complaining bitterly. Ngige why?
“What legacy are you leaving behind? NSITF is not Ngige’s private business, he should know this. The contractors, Ed Admin, Ed Finance, GM Finance and Board Secretary should stop sabotaging payment of staff salary.
“e-NSITF is an electronic platform meant to be used in the handling of the services of NSITF that Ngige has succeeded in pushing through Federal Executive Council,” the CCSPSAG convener stated.