Crisis Looms In Social Insurance Trust Fund As MD Pays Self N47 Million As Gratuity

Some senior staff of the Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) have called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing corruption in the agency.

According to them, the agency needs to be saved from its current management, which is allegedly controlled by the former Labour Minister, Chris Ngige.

CityNews has gathered that the staff members of the agency have groaned over the recent happening, which is the approval of payment of N47 million gratuity to the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Fund, Maureen Allagoa, while still in active service.

Some of them who spoke to SaharaReporters revealed that Allagoa had allegedly approved the payment of such an amount to herself for gratuity while still in service.

In a leaked memo titled: Gratuity Computation for Mrs. Maureen Allagoa- (Aa/11272) for the period of service from September 2016 to February 2023 as General Manager and Executive Director, respectively,” the N47 million gratuity payment to the Allagoa was approved by herself for the period she served as General Manager and Executive Director.

The memo with a Reference Number: NSITF/AC/I&A/5/S.4/B117 dated July 3, 2023, from PM, Audit and Inspectorate, was routed through AGM, Head, Audit and Inspectorate to the DGM, Head, Audit and Inspectorate.

Speaking to SaharaReporters, a senior management staff in the office of the embattled MD said the development shocked them all because it contravened the agency’s laws.

The staff, who pleaded anonymity, said, “Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Daju Kachallom, is allegedly playing out the script of her former boss, Chris Ngige, who, though has left the government, but still controls Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund through the Maureen Allagoa, the current Managing Director, GM Procurement Mr. Akin, his procurement director who he re-engaged from retirement to do his dirty job.

“What is actually the rationale behind re-engaging people who are retired from active service in NSITF by the former Minister Dr. Chris Ngige? Sadly too, the Managing Director, Mrs. Allagoa, Executive Management, and Board Secretary didn’t see the reason to question such action that is in sharp contrast with labour laws; instead, all they are interested in is paying themselves gratuity while still in service. How do you go to people’s private houses and marketplaces and then bring them to NSITF and then employ them as AGM, DGM, and GM without regard for the conditions of service and other extant laws? Isn’t that sickening?”

Another staff of the agency, who confirmed the MD’s N47 million gratuity payment, called on the government for a proper investigation.

The source stated, “Don’t forget that the former minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, tried, by all means, to shield the former Managing Director of the Agency, Dr. Michael Akabuogu, another of his stooges even with overwhelming cases of corruption and incompetence against him, until he was sacked by former President Muhammadu Buhari over incompetence and NYSC certificate forgery. Since the time of Barrister Somefun, Dr. Michael Akabuogu, and the current MD, Mrs. Maureen Allagoa, the rate at which corruption gained dominance is worrisome.

“How can you explain NSITF being robbed of billions of naira through mindless contracts under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary of Labour, thereby wasting NSITF resources? Is it not strange that the MD paid herself 47 million naira as gratuity while still in office? And in other establishments, there are embargos on contract awards and payment, but not so in NSITF because the current leadership seems to be enjoying immunity from a higher power.

“NSITF must be rescued from the mindless grip of this current management who are still taking instruction and reporting to Dr. Chris Ngige. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should come to the aid of this organisation before it collapses. Our union leaders are daily blackmailed because the presidency is been kept in the dark about this mind-blowing fraud in the Fund. The Permanent Secretary should protect the interest of over 5000 staff of the organisation, not the greed of the former Minister of Labour, who is hellbent on killing NSITF. Tell management to stop harassing our union leaders. We need to protect our means of livelihood; that is the reason for this outcry. Let NSITF Breathe, Don’t Kill It.”

At the time of this report, it was reliably gathered that following the gratuity payment, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, on Tuesday visited the headquarters of NSITF, and a management meeting is said to be ongoing now.