When the recruitment process of 2012 started with payment of N1,000 into first bank account to obtain a pin towards registration and application for the advertised positions, it was a source of concern to all meaning Nigerians. Three years down the line NSITF senior Management and board members now collect N700,000 (seven hundred thousand naira) to employ job seekers craving federal government jobs.
The management did not follow due process and instead of recourse to the federal character commission and other regulatory bodies in charge of public service employment, they provided slots to the officials of the Federal Character Commission in collusion. There is still no end to the employment process in the already over staffed NSITF. It is now a dumping ground for drop outs, drug addicts, and mentally unstable people.
People are being recruited to offices without basic furniture or work station. Regional offices are choked to the brim with staff chatting away, selling goods and eating a typical scene from Aba Market. No air conditioner, or chair to seat, people are packed like sardines in dark and poorly ventilated offices.
There is no uniformity in salaries of staff in the various regions, stark evidence of favouritism in the payment of their entitlements. Head office staff earn more than any other staff in the same organization as if they operate in separate economic conditions, meanwhile they resume at 10 am contrary to the condition of service
The Chairman, Board members and most Management Staff of NSITF spent the whole of 2013 and 2014 out of the country. Their numerous trips to Canada, United States of America, Dubai, South Africa, Italy, Switzerland etc was to help gather enough foreign currency for the chairman , Dr Ngozi Olejeme, who started milking the organization in order to pursue her gubernatorial ambition. Let me add that after she purchased 60 brand new prado jeeps for traditional rulers in delta state, donated 50 million naira to the pdp chairman in delta state and lavished more than 1.4 billion naira to gather support from various groups and association, she lost the primaries. Dr Ngozi Olejeme refused to resign as chairman of NSITF before going for the primaries and with full authority she returned to NSITF having lost woefully with only 11 votes at the primaries.
The management of NSITF following their chairman’s lead started amassing wealth from the contributions they got from the companies with reckless abandon. They travel abroad with their girlfriends and spend foreign currencies in parties as they please. This spending spree is all at the expense of employers hard earned money contributed towards the scheme.
In order to avoid embarrassing situation from clients, NSITF offices are now run by contribution from the staff as management has refused to fund the administration of the scheme rather they enrich their pockets, buy mansions and exotic cars, and the chairman now travels around the country in chartered private jet from the presidency.
For over a year enforcement officers were deceived to use their salary for enforcement visits as the management were not able to buy official vehicles for the enforcement drive. The management has refused to reimburse the staff and when they are reminded they say very soon. The truth is that they are so engrossed in mismanagement and self aggrandizement that they are bent on running down the scheme and defrauding employers. Management is not committed to the scheme, they failed to provide, a conducive environment, stationeries to work or office photocopiers and in some offices of NSITF staff were made to pay for diesel and soak away evacuation while the management squander the funds meant for the administration of the scheme.
In a popular branch in the north, the staff brought chairs from home to sit and was asked to draw up cleaning roaster for each staff as the office had no cleaner. They also bought a small generator to power the office fan. The Staff are being exploited for lack of job.
The management lacks administrative skills as most of the newly appointed General managers and executive directors run the offices like their private businesses. For instance why will only staff of selected department ie ICT and Legal be promoted? And those who are favoured of the chairman, Is that how promotion is done in the public service? Why would people who just graduated be given top positions to head their seniors?
NSITF’s logo says it is committed to workers welfare. Charity must begin at home, how can NSITF settle claims quickly or have regard for staff of other organization when it can’t pay its staff their salaries and other entitlements? Who is fooling who??
With a monthly income average of 3 billion naira, NSITF cannot pay salaries and allowances regularly. The Board members award contracts to themselves through proxy companies to supply computers, and office furniture at ridiculous prices. 7 billion naira was expended on the computerization programme for NSITF and each of its branches cannot boast of 10 computers.
While the fund is battling with the extreme cost of administration purposely inflicted by the chairman’s desire to fleece the organization by ridiculous board fees, The board also appointed over 200 consultants in addition to its overstaffed organization as another avenue to siphon 10 percent of all moneys paid to the fund. For the mandate of NSITF to be successful, NSITF must be investigated and every management staff and board member that has enriched themselves with public funds must be made to refund every kobo. The era of board members selling government properties to their selves and leasing their property to the fund must stop. Those with the technical knowhow on proper administration of the scheme were posted to redundant departments to isolate them .
The labour union is not left out in the funds sharing as they have constituted themselves to be the mouth piece of management instead of the staff. They weakened the union, shielded staff agitations from management and encouraged management to employ their spouses, girlfriends, sisters and brothers. The national arm has also been bought over by the various contracts and cash gifts from the chairman in a bid to keep them chained. Management has not remitted staff pensions to their PFA, or taxes deducted from their salaries for over 14 months. Staff is regularly turned back at the hospital because they have not paid the health insurance scheme. Only recently a staff lost his only child because treatment was not given as management did not pay the required fees to the HMO which is a sister company of the fund.
An organization that cannot care for its staff cannot care for other organization staff. The Nigerian social insurance trust fund is an organization whose management do not have the required integrity and skill to manage and administer funds kept in trust for contingency. Dr Ngozi Olejeme has turned the accounts of the fund into her personal account, she receives the alert on any cash payment and there after instructs the MD on how funds should be disbursed in accordance to her absolute wish. All the Properties she and her fellow board members acquired in Abuja and other states should be confisticated with immediate effect. A forensic audit is required as a matter of urgency.
Concerned Citizen
January 12, 2015, 07:00:06 PM