The crisis rocking the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has assumed as its former Managing Director/CEO, Michael Akabogu, has accused the labour and employment minister, Dr. Chris Ngige of making him sign his resignation letter when he was appointed to guarantee his loyalty.
Akabogu said he made efforts to stem the tide and change the fortunes of the NSITF when he was there, “by adhering to due process but my efforts were frustrated by the Hon. Minister and his foot soldiers”.
He identified the foot soldiers as Mrs. Maureen Allagoa, MD/CE of NSITF/former Executive Director (ED) Administration; Mrs. Ijeoma Okoronkwo, General Manager Corporate Affairs/former Board Secretary; and Mrs. Joyce Akponor, Deputy Director Procurement.
In February, SaharaReporters reported the sacking of Akabogu by President Muhammadu Buhari in connection with his alleged forgery of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
A whistleblower in 2022 petitioned the police, alleging that the sacked NSITF boss was parading a fake NYSC discharge certificate with Number: A030544.
The police subsequently invited Akabogu for questioning after the authority of NYSC denied issuing the fake NYSC discharge certificate.
Akabogu had claimed he was mobilised for the compulsory one-year Service, vide NO. OG/ FUTO/ 91/23402 for the first batch from October 4, 1991 to October 3, 1992.
However, Akabogu, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission dated April 25, 2023, accused Ngige of corruption and highhandedness.
He said a month before his appointment as MD/CE in June 2021, Ngige summoned him to his office to inform him about the impending appointment but threatened that he would be disgraced if he failed to have a cordial relationship with his alleged foot soldiers.
He further alleged that on the day he was inaugurated, Ngige made him sign a resignation that was not dated, which he threatened to use to get rid of him if he was not loyal to him (Ngige).
He said, “Prior to the approval of my appointment as the MD/CE NSITF, the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Dr. Chris Ngige, OON, who is the supervising Minister for the NSITF, had sometimes in May 2021, summoned me to his office, where he informed me of my impending appointment; with a subtle threat that I will be disgraced out of office as MD/CE, if I do not maintain a cordial working relationship with Mrs. Maureen Allagoa (the present MD/CE of NSITF/ then Executive Director (ED) Administration) and Mrs. Ijeoma Okoronkwo (the General Manager Corporate Affairs/ then Board Secretary).
“On the day of my inauguration as MD/CE and shortly after the said inauguration, while signing the appointment letter, the Hon. minister handed me an undated resignation letter which he insisted I must sign, as a condition for my appointment. He asserted that the letter will guarantee my loyalty to him within the first four (4) year tenure of my appointment and that it is a requirement as directed by the Presidency.
“Recall, that the NSITF has been synonymous with financial impropriety and massive looting of the contributions made to the NSITF. After my assumption of office as MD/CE, I made every effort to stem the tide and change the fortunes of the NSITF, by adhering to due process but my efforts were frustrated by the Hon. Minister and his foot soldiers (as named above and to be named hereafter) for their selfish financial gains.
“From the date of my resumption of duty as the MD/CE, most administrative decisions regarding the day-to-day running/operation of the NSITF were being carried out as directed by the Hon. Minister, through Mrs. Maureen Allagoa and Mrs. Ijeoma Okoronkwo. Hardly did a day go by without a demand/request from the Hon. Minister bordering on contracts and payment to sundry contractors.
“In order to ensure compliance with these numerous demands/requests as aforestated, the Hon. Minister equally seconded a Procurement Officer from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, to take over the procurement processes of the NSITF. Such that all procurements and related matters were carried out by the Hon. Minister working in conjunction with Mrs. Joyce Akponor (the Deputy Director Procurement) and Mrs. Ijeoma Okoronkwo (General Manager Corporate Affairs/then Board Secretary).
“After the withdrawal of Mrs. Joyce Akponor by the Director – General of the Bureau of Public Procurement following my complaint on her activities, the Hon. Minister forced Mr. Akinkahunsi Pius Adewole, a retired procurement officer from the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment on the NSITF, as a contract staff, and, subsequently, within few months and without my knowledge, directed his promotion to the rank of General Manager, for a two (2) year tenure to continue doing the Hon. Minister’s biddings, from where Mrs. Joyce Akponor stopped.
“The meddlesomeness and interference of the Hon. Minister in the affairs of the NSITF especially as it relates to contracts, procurements and payments for phantom contracts led to series of disagreements between me and the Hon. Minister, as I could not yield to his desires and his demands to disregard the procurement procedure in the management of the funds of the NSITF.
“Suffice it to say that my disagreement with the Hon. Minister started when I consistently expressed my displeasures about the obvious unethical and sharp practices being carried out within the NSITF by Mrs. Maureen Allagoa, Mrs. Joyce Akponor, Mrs. Ijeoma Okoronkwo and the Hon. Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, who aided and abetted the corruption in the NSITF.
“Each time I tried to express my reservation about the processes and procedure, the GM Corporate Affairs would threaten me with the possibility of sack, using the instrumentality of the undated resignation letter that I was forced to sign on my appointment. I have outlined below a few of the numerous instances of the sleaze being perpetrated within the NSITF by the Hon. Minister and his cohorts.”
