Crisis is currently brewing at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) following the payment of N47million gratuity to the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Fund, Maureen Allagoa, while still in active service, Society Reporters has learnt.
The payment, according to some management staff in the federal government agency who pleaded anonymity, was against the extant rules of NSITF and amounted to corruption.
We gathered that the embattled MD approved the payment of the N47 million gratuity to herself through an internal memo leaked to the media, with a Reference Number: NSITF/AC/I&A/5/S.4/B117 dated July, 3, 2023, from PM, Audit and Inspectorate, 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, who pleaded not to be mentioned, disclosed that the staff were taken by surprise over the payment of N47 million gratuity to the MD while still in office.
In the memo titled; “RE: 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;” it was observed that the memo for the N47 million gratuity payment to the MD was approved herself for the period she served as General Manager and Executive Director.
One of staff of the agency, noted that the “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, lamented what she described as “den of corruption” and called for a proper probing of the agency.
“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 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.”
As 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.
All attempts to get reactions from Allagoa, on the payment of N47 million gratuity to herself proved abortive as calls and text messages sent to her were not responded to.