NSITF: Ngige, Akabogu fight dirty over planned employment of 2000 staff

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has locked horns with the Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, (NSITF) Mr Michael Akabogu over the planned employment of 2000 fresh staff, CAPITAL POST has learnt over the weekend in Abuja.

The crisis is coming in less than one year after the NSITF boss believed to be Ngige’s godson was appointed into office as the Managing Director of NSITF.

CAPITAL POST gathered that the bone of contention bothered on the planned recruitment of over 2000 staff which about 43 top management of the organization from the rank of Assistant General Managers are to be employed into the service of the agency.

Akabogu who was an aide to the Minister for over two decades from his days as Governor of Anambra state and Senator in the 8th National Assembly, was absorbed specially into NSITF on the Minister’s instructions through the creation of a special department that was non-existent in the agency in the early times, the risk management department.

The age long ally of the Minister was transformed to the Managing Director after the sacking of the previous leadership and removal of the most senior officer through a deliberate indictments from the Minster’s brief.

The planned recruitment wholly from the South East among many other requests that bothered on funds was being resisted by Akabogu on the lean resources of the agency.

Staff of the agency have protested to the management on several payments that includes pension and allowances, but the ministry insisted on recruitment of more hands as parting gift from the Minister, according to sources.

Chris Ngige is notorious for carrying out series of recruitment in the agency without the consent of the Permanent Secretary or the the junior Minister, Festus Keyamo.

He called the bluff after the last recruitment when the National Assembly summoned him to shed more lights on the illegal and lopsided exercise, carried out by the Minister with his kinsmen dominating the management cadre.

The Federal Character Commission, office of the Head of Service had frowned on the illegal and lopsided recruitment exercise being carried out by agencies without the consent of relevant bodies.

The crisis of supremacy degenerated with the Minister said to have used his walking stick on head of Akabogu thrice, saying he is ungrateful.