The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed shock over the attitude of the management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in rejecting their suspension which was meant to enable the authorities conduct an unfettered investigations of their alleged heist of public fund.

It called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest and investigate these persons over this huge scam.

HURIWA recalled that recently, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the immediate, compulsory and indefinite suspension from office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive of NSITF, Mr. Adebayo Somefun, among other top management staff of the fund.

Citing media publication, HURIWA stated that others suspended from office were three Executive Directors, beside other top management staff.

HURIWA quoted media statement from the Labour Ministry signed by the Deputy Director, Press and Publicity, Charles Akpan, as alleging that “some of the infractions uncovered include N3.4 billion squandered on non-existent staff training split into about 196 different consultancy contracts in order to evade the Ministerial Tenders Board and Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval. Non-existent unexecuted N2.3 billion was documented and paid while N1.1 billion is awaiting payment without any job done, all totaling N3.4 billion.

“Same goes for projects of construction of 14 Zonal/ Regional offices in 14 states running into billions of naira- a policy issue being done without Board or Ministerial knowledge not to talk of Approval. This was done in 2019 by the MD and his three-man Executive. Some of the projects are duplications and hence waste of funds, yet you are in the Board supposedly supervising.”

HURIWA condemned the apparent stubbornness of the suspended NSITF management in challenging the authority and powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for doubting the veracity of the claim by the supervising Minister of the agency that the President duly sanctioned their suspension for alleged financial misconduct.

The rights group said: “Why did the Minister of Labour and Productivity not follow the right step to deal with this sort of alleged scandal by handing these persons over to the EFCC for thorough forensic investigations and prosecutions since he is so sure that over N3 billion of public fund was blown away in suspicious circumstances?

“Why is the Minister treating this grave case of heist of public fund as if it is a mere family disagreement of All Progressives Congress?

“This laissez faire approach by the Minister in dealing with alleged financial thieves is the tonic that has allowed the accused managers to now start fighting back from the same offices that the supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity had clearly indicted them of corruption. If these persons have shame, the least they could have done is to accept their suspension and present themselves to the EFCC for comprehensive investigations and be freed to return back to offices if their claims of innocence are found to be credible.”

HURIWA also called for the investigation, arrest and prosecution of the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Law School reportedly indicted in a huge financial scam by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation.

The rights group said the EFCC or the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission (ICPC) should ensure that public fund allegedly stolen in the Nigerian Law School must be recovered and the thieves prosecuted and punished.

HURIWA recalled that the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation reportedly uncovered financial infractions in the records of the Nigerian Law School which ranged from outright misappropriation to spending without approval and diversion of pension.

This is contained in the 2015 Auditor-General’s report submitted to the Senate Committee on Public Account.

HURIWA recalled that nine queries were issued by the Office of the Auditor-General of Federation to the management of Nigerian Law School in 2015, according to the report.

HURIWA stated that the Auditor-General queried the payment of N36 million as dressing allowance through the account of one of the staff for 52 others without approval and in violation of Nigeria’s Financial Act.

“The examination of payment records revealed that the Nigerian Law School several times paid N36 million to staff as dressing allowance in 2013 alone.

“The management could not substantiate these payments with any approval from Salaries and Wages Commission to enable the audit team to determine the genuineness of these payments to staff. No appropriation in this request,” the report said.

The report, HURIWA said, also indicted the law school for paying N32 million to an unnamed cleaner over a period of 12 months against Nigeria extant laws. The queries also said that N34.3 million was paid for the training of staff without approval from the Federal Government.

On the serious allegations that the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Muhammed Ladan, plagiarised the intellectual property of Professor Ngozi Ezeilo, HURIWA called for his immediate suspension until a comprehensive investigation on the damaging accusation are carried out.

The rights group said it was not proper for the DG of such a prestigious legal faculty to be entangled in a show of shame which is criminal in nature such as plagiarism and he is allowed to defend himself from the financially formidable position of a Director General of a publicly funded agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.