PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate and indefinite suspension of Adebayo Somefun, Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), and 11 others in the agency.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Charles Akpan, Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
According to the statement, the president’s order was a result of established prima facie infractions on the extant Financial Regulations and Procurement Act, and other acts of gross misconduct against Somefun and 11 others..
Others who were suspended include Jasper Ikedi Azuatalam, Executive Director of Finance and Investment, Olukemi Nelson, Executive Director of Operations and Tijani Darazo Sulaiman. Executive Director of Administration.
Others were Olusegun Olumide Bashorun, Lawan Tahir, Chris Esedebe, Olodotun Adegbite, Emmanuel Sike, Olutoyin Arokoyo, Dorathy Tukura, Victoria Ayantuga.
The president further directed that all the officers must face a Joint Board and Audit Investigative Panel that has been set up to look into the financial and procurement breaches.
He added that the panel would also investigate the suspended officials on gross misconduct in the NSITF from 2016 to date.
The statement added that the affected officers have been directed to hand over to the most senior officers in their respective departments.
“The Executive Directors are therefore to hand over to the most senior General Managers, while the Managing Director will hand over to the most Senior Officer in the Fund,” the statement read.
Consequently, Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, has directed Temitope Akinwale, the Ibadan Regional General Manager of NSITF, to take over as General Manager in charge of Finance and as Acting Executive Director of Finance.
Maureen Allagoa, Baba Ma’aji Kabir, and Kelly Nwagha were transferred to the NSITF Headquarters to head departments of the agency.
Ngige said the appointments were with effect from Monday, July 6 2020 and will last until further notice.
He also charged Austin Enajemo Isire, the Chairman of the Board – to take charge, in order to ensure that the Investigative Panel commence work as soon as possible.
This, the Minister explained would enable the Board to facilitate the smooth running of the Fund by creating the enabling environment and all the necessary staff adjustments and movements, in order to guarantee that services by staff to the contributors do not in any way suffer.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94