NSITF Scam Allegation: We won’t compromise investigations – ICPC

NSITF Scam Allegation: We won’t compromise investigations – ICPC

Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, ABUJA-THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission, ICPC, has said it will not compromise on the investigation of the alleged N2.3 billion scam at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF. Some of the management staff of NSITF were accused of spending N2. 294,161,025  without the approval of the board and the supervisory ministry which is the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

READ ALSO:Alleged Extortion: Another 26 FRSC officials arrested, says ICPC(Opens in a new browser tab) Vanguard investigations revealed that the ICPC has written the Managing Director, Pastor Adeboye Sonefun and three Executive Directors of the Fund to appear before it to answer questions for alleged financial infractions. Aside the MD, the three Executive Directors according to the letter signed by Akeem Lawal, Director, Operations, ICPC on behalf of the commission’s Chairman invited to appear between 12th to 14th November are the Executive Director, Finance, Mr. Jasper Azuatalam, the Executive Director Adam, Tijjani Darazu and Mrs. Kemi Nelson. According the letter, the officers were told to come with either a lawyer, a Justice of the Peace, a staff of the Legai Aid Council or any individual of their choice. No fraud of N2.3b in NSITF But the management of the Fund has denied any existence of N2. 3  billian scam. A statement by the management on Sunday read, “There is no fraud in the NSITF. What the ICPC is investigating is Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) of the management staff which has been responded to appropriately. ” This present management is committed to transparency and accountability of all its business. Recall that in our bid to enthrone transparency of our procurement system, we approached the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) is giving us procurement supports. “Concerning the training, it was budgeted for in our 2018 and 2019 procurement plans. 

The process was advertised in national dailies, the bids were competed for, opened publicly, evaluated and awarded. ” The training was done in 15 states of the federation that involved over 4,000 of our staffers. ” The states where training was done included Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Ibadan, Ilorin, Yola, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Owerri, Maiduguri, Akure, Asaba, Uyo, Minna amongst other cities. We also have pictorial evidence of all the training. ” The training was conducted within two years period. Apart from pictures and other evidences, relevant approvals were gotten before the projects were executed. ” Parastatals Tender Board considered memorandum of contracts and approve contracts that are below N50 million threshold. All the contracts pertaining to the training were selected by the Tender Board and were considered strictly based on their merits. ” The Fund has backlog of training for staffers owing to the peculiarities of our mandates which is social security, which is new in Nigeria. Though some of the training required we travel abroad for them, no one travelled abroad for the training as all of them were conducted in Nigeria. ”

 It is instructive to note that the NSITF has not conducted training for its staff since 2011 when the Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS) started in Nigeria. “The training, which is fund wide exercise was for 2017, 2018 and 2019 cumulatively.” There are insinuations that attempts are being made to compromise the ICPC officials on the matter but Rasheedat Okoduwa, Director, Public Enlightment and spokesperson ICPC who confirmed that the commission was investigating the alleged scam said that it will never be influenced by anybody. She said, “Yes we are investigating some members of  the NSITF. But I can assure you that this  board and management cannot tolerate any act of compromise from its officers.” It was gathered that the alleged financial infractions took place within the period President Muhammadu Buhari was yet to constitute the cabinet.