Ngige Vs NSITF: BPE Disagrees With Minister On N48bn Fraud – Sources

Officials at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) have faulted claims by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige that the suspended management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), misappropriated N48 billion.

The minister made the allegation at an investigative hearing at the House of Representatives on the alleged illegal suspension of the management of the agency.

He had claimed that the management withdrew the amount through fake contracts, proceeds of which were recycled into private pockets.

But sources at the BPE, the agency saddled with driving the federal  government’s economic reforms, have told THE WHISTLER that the minister may have jumped to his own conclusion in the case, insisting there were no evidence yet of mismanagement of funds.

“I can tell you that we have not established any evidence of the minister’s claim; there’s yet no evidence that the suspended management engaged in procurement breaches. We are sure the House would ask him to provide the evidence of his allegations,” said a senior management staff of BPE.

The claim was also confirmed by a member of the House of Reps involved in the investigation who also  told THE WHISTLER that the investigative panel was also in possession of documents which contradict Ngige’s claims of procurement breaches by the suspended management.

“The DG of Bureau of Public Enterprises has disagreed with Ngige on NSITF procurement breaches. He said there were no infractions found yet on the activities of the suspended management at the hearing,” the legislator stated, adding that the investigative would get to the root of the conflict.   

Ngige had also made other allegations against the suspended management, including claims  irregular payments of salaries and allowances of N10 million not in line with the condition of service of the organization and without any reference to the Office of the Minister.

The minister said the alleged illegal suspension of the NSITF management was approved by President Muhammad Buhari, following his recommendation.

But when asked to tender documentary evidence of the presidential approval, the minister only showed a letter to the lawmakers, but refused to tender it as evidence, saying he would consult the President before tendering the letter.

But the suspended MD of NSITF, Adebayo Somefun, had  on Monday accused the minister of hijacking the management of the agency and acting in breach of public service rules. He said the management had done nothing wrong and that Ngige’s allegations were “strange.”