NSITF Shake Up: Buhari Backdates Sack Of Somefun Kemi Nelson, 11 Others

President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked Bayo Somefun, the CEO of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), top management staff and the executive directors.

Affected in the sack gale were three executive directors, Jasper Azuatalam in charge of finance; Tijani Sulaiman in charge of Investment, Operations, and Administration and Olukemi Nelson, human resources.

Their dismissal took effect from July 1, 2020.

Nine managers of the agency were also compulsorily retired.

They are Bashorun Olumide, the General Manager, Administration, Alhaji Lawan Tahir, the General Manager, Finance and Accounts, Chris Esedebe, General Manager, Claims and Compensation, Enyinanya Sike, Deputy General Manager, Finance, and Dorothy Tukura, Deputy General Manager, Training.

The others are Victoria Ayantuga, Assistant General Manager, Audit, Dotun Adegbite, Deputy General Manager, Investment, Arokoyo Olutoye, Deputy General Manager, Legal, and Abdul Rasheed Lawan, Deputy General Manager, Procurement.

The nine would also be demoted to the next rank.

The dismissals followed the recommendations of a Presidential Joint Board and Audit Investigation Panel set up by the President in July 2020 to investigate the infractions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and the Financial Regulations (FR) in the NSITF.

Buhari announced the appointment of Dr Michael Akabogu as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency.

Others appointed are Mrs Akinwale Caroline Temitope, Executive Director, Finance and Investment, Mrs. Alagoa Maurine, Executive Director, Administration and Mr Gana Modu, Executive Director, Operations.

Mrs Lauretta Adogu and Alhaji Najeem Yasin were appointed as nominal directors on the Board.

Adogu, the Director, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, is to represent the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

She replaces Dr, Ifeoma Anyawutaku now a Permanent Secretary.

Yasin, the Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) replaces late Khaleel Ibrahim who died sometime in October 2020 as the NLC representative.

According to the panel’s recommendations, Somefun and the three Executive Directors are to refund the NSITF Treasury the total sum of N181, 056,000.

The money was the illegal overpayments in salaries, allowances such as overseas travels, leave allowances for self and spouses in overseas, house allowance, DSTV, and club registration, and extraneous allowances not approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

The other nine top Management staff whose appointments were terminated for various infractions and who have also benefitted from the excess remuneration are to refund such overpayments to the Panel.