NSITF MD, 11 Others Suspended
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has suspended the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Adebayo Somefun, indefinitely.
A statement by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Thursday stated that 11 other officials in the NSITF were also asked to proceed on suspension.
Their suspension, according to the ministry, was due to the preliminarily established prima facie infractions of the Financial Regulations and the Procurement Act, and other acts of gross misconduct.
The FG said it would audit the roles of the suspended officers in financial and procurement breaches, as well as in gross misconduct in the NSITF from 2016 till date.
“During the period of their suspension, the suspended Officers are to face a joint board and audit investigative panel that has been set up to look into the financial and procurement breaches, as well as gross misconduct in the NSITF for periods of 2016 to date, which have invariably put the contributions of stakeholders in a perilous state,” the statement said.
According to the statement, some suspended officials of the Fund include Executive Director, Finance and Investment, Jasper Azuatalam; Executive Director, Operations, Olukemi Nelson; and Executive Director, Administration, Tijani Sulaiman.
Some management members of staff who were also suspended are General Manager, Administration/Human Resources/Maintenance, Olusegun Bashorun; General Manager, Finance, Lawan Tahir; General Manager, Claims, and Compensation, Chris Esedebe; and Deputy General Manager, Investment and Treasury Management, Olodotun Adegbite.
Others include Deputy General Manager, Finance and Accounts, Emmanuel Sike; Deputy General Manager/Acting Head, Legal, Olutoyin Arokoyo; Deputy General Manager, Administration, Dorathy Tukura; and Assistant General Manager, Internal Audit, Victoria Ayantuga.
The government asked the executive directors to hand over to the most senior general managers, while Somefun was asked to hand over to the most senior officer in the Fund.
Ayooluwa Joshua