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“N30bn Missing From NSITF” – Chris Ngige

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The minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, in line with a presidential directive, yesterday inaugurated all the boards of parastatals under the Ministry of Labour except the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) due to the huge fraud discovered in the agency.

The boards inaugurated by the minister include those of the National Productivity Centre (NPC), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), and Michael Imoudu National institute for Labour Studies (MINILS).

LEADERSHIP Weekend recalls that the president had in October 2017 constituted the board of the NSITF with the former president of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, as the chairman.

However, giving reasons why the board was not inaugurated alongside others yesterday, Ngige said he had the consent of the president to stay action on inaugurating the NSITF board the pending the outcome of the administrative enquiry recently set up by the ministry to investigate the mindless looting of the agency.

The minister urged members of the other boards so inaugurated to be accountable in the discharge of their mandates to avoid a repeat of the rot in the NSITF.

Ngige said: “The operations of the various parastatals must strictly conform to financial regulations, especially Section 32 and the provisions of the Procurement Act. The audited accounts of the parastatals must always be prepared and submitted to the relevant authorities as and when due.

“The NSITF, for example, is reeling from massive looting with no audited account for five years. A whooping sum of N5billion was unearthed by an audit panel of enquiry as having been taken out of the NSITF coffers with First Bank in a single day without vouchers.

“Worse still, the organisation maintained no cash book as required by financial regulations. This resulted in massive looting of funds by board members acting in concert with the management staff.

“When we say N5 billion was taken in one day, that’s not the only amount missing. Over N30billion cannot be accounted for and the members of the past board participated actively in the looting.

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“Political Hushpuppi” Ugochinyere is one of PDP’s aberrations, he is only cashing out – Wike’s Aide

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Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has described House of Representatives member from Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Imo Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, as a “political hushpuppi” who was produced by part of the aberrations in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that must be made to stop.

Olayinka, who told Ugochinyere to “stop going about masturbating about anything Wike,” admonished him to face the reason for which he was elected into the House of Representatives so that his constituents will stop seeing him as a failure and consistently passing votes of no confidence against him.

While featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday, Ugochinyere, had said that the FCT Minister and other G5 Governors like Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, former governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) were determined to destroy the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

However, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, Olayinka said; “This is one of the things you get when people who joined the PDP today are awarded the ticket of the party tomorrow morning. If not for the aberration in the PDP that produced a character like Ugochinyere, someone who only joined the party in 2022 won’t be the one to lecture us about who is loyal to the party and who’s not.

“If PDP had functioned properly, would a ‘political hushpuppi’ like Ugochinyere have gotten the party’s ticket while still in another party? Even till today, as a PDP Rep member, Ugochinyere is still holding on to his Action Peoples Party (APP), using it to cash-out in Rivers State.

“Therefore, we on this side are not bothered because we understand why Ugochinyere must now mount the podium and accuse Wike of playing childish and kindergarten politics. He must satisfy those feeding him from the resources of Rivers State.”

While mocking Ugochinyere for always having an organization to speak for to carry out his political hustle, Olayinka said; “In saner climes, such character would have been arrested, tried and jailed for impersonation.

“When he got to the House of Representatives and there was no title under which his political hushpuppism would continue, he awarded to himself a non-existing title of ‘Spokesperson of Opposition Lawmakers Coalition in the 10th National Assembly,’ claiming to have been so appointed by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

“But the questions are, is CUPP a political party with members in the House of Representatives? Where and when was CUPP registered? Apart from the positions of Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip, is there anything like spokesperson of opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly?

“Being a political hustler that he has always been, Ugochinyere, knew that he will be contravening the rules of the National Assembly by allocating to himself, a non-existing position, but he just must have a title to keep his hustle going, and indeed, it has been booming.

“Impersonating as spokesperson of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, Ugochinyere has been cashing out in Rivers State in particular. If he is not using his former party, APP, to cash-out, he will be using his amorphous opposition lawmakers to chop from inside the Rivers.”

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‘‘Not an inch of our land will be ceded to Lagos, Ondo” – Gov Abiodun

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Ogun Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has assured the people of Waterside Local Government that his administration would not cede any part of the state to other states in the country.

Governor Abiodun gave the assurance at a meeting with representatives of the local government, made up of traditional rulers, technocrats, and prominent government functionaries, at Government House, Abeokuta.

The former Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Segun Awonusi, said the governor has taken note of reported incursions into parts of the state from neighbouring states and has taken steps to address the issue.

Prof. Awonusi said: “We have come here to discuss the affairs of the local government with the governor. We appreciate him for what he has done so far, and we urge him to do more.

“Because of reports of incursions from Lagos and Ondo states on Ode-Omi and Makun to seize parts of our land, the governor has promised that he will ensure that not an inch of Ogun State is lost to any other state.

“He has also promised to provide adequate security so that our people can live in peace.”

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Governor Alia and the 19 States’ Suit Against EFCC, ICPC and NFIU

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Two days ago, Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, suspended the State Attorney General, Barr. Fidelis Mynin.

His Offense? The Attorney General joined the suit challenging the legality of EFCC, ICPC and NFIU without INFORMING the governor.

Benue State joined the suit on October 8, 2024, with 14 other States. This was widely reported in the media.

On October 22, the matter came up again at the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, October 23, Benue State Governor suspended the Attorney General of the State, claiming that he was not aware of the State joining the suit.

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