Gbenro Adesina
Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige today threw caution into the wind and displayed the highest sense of disrespect for the National Assembly as he abused and insulted both the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Hon James Faleke and the leader of All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Ngige, who appeared before a probe panel of the House of Representatives chose to attack Tinubu, who was not at the meeting and Faleke rather than respond to the questions the panel asked him.
Responding to a question, Ngige said, “Like my junior brother except Faleke says opposite, I do not know. You are near my age but at least, I am seven years older than you, I am sure. I am the same age with your mentor in Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I was governor with him at the same time. He was a senator, I was a senator. I am a two term minister, he is not a two term minister. If you yab me, I will yab you 10 times. I am a Lagos boy, you are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this boy, Mushin boy, he is talking to a VI boy”.
Faleke incurred the wrath of the Minister, when on July 7, 2020, he asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack Ngige over abuse of office and fraudulent activities.
Faleke, on the floor of the House, accused Ngige of gross misconduct and abuse of office in the purported sacking of the management of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) board.
He pointed out that he was worried that the Minister, who was suppose to mediate in employees and employers crisis, was solely taking decisions without the recourse to procedures.
Pointing out that President Buhari was elected because of his pedigree, his promises and people’s believe that he would deliver, Faleke said that the President has to appoint Ministers and aides to assist in delivering his promises to the electorates.
“We have seen in recent times how this minister have abused their offices and in this particular case, the question that will come to our mind is why would Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity carry out this draconian decisions without follow the process”, he queried.
He alleged that contrary to the constitution, the Minister usurp the power of the President by nominating the board chairmen so as to have absolute control over them.
According to him, “The Minister of Labour has abused his office and if I were the president, I will get him removed immediately based on facts. The NSITF that we are talking about, submitted the budget of NSITF to him, he single-handedly altered all the budgets, altered the figures and when the women and men of that agency protested, he threatened to remove them. What did he do? The Minister inserted N2 bIllion commission project in the budget. He inserted N2 bIllion from commission on collection. Something that has never happened in that agency. In other words, what did he do, he needed the management and the executive committee of that agency to be out of office so that he can implement that budget. He removed all the people that were against the decision and left it to the people who never knew the argument between them”.
He continued, “This particular Minister single-handedly nominated the contractor that bought the vehicles worth N305 million last year in the 2019 budget. This executive members said that this year, they will not allow that to happen. The moment the 2020 budget was approved, he felt he would not have control of those things he inserted in the budget if these people remain there and the only way to do it is to send them away. That is the crux of the matter. A Minister will be provided with his convoy of vehicles by the ministry but that is not enough for Ngige, he went and compelled this same parastatal, NSITF to buy him an SUV Toyota land cruiser and a Hilux in 2019. This same Minister has inserted four SUV in the 2020 budget, which the men and women he sent away refused to implement”.
“His wife, Dr Mrs Ngige works with the head of service and the Minister took the advantage of this to get approval signed by his wife to the Ministry of Labour to appoint an insurance broker for insurance worth N100 million every year. This approval was issued and signed by his wife on the 6th of May to him and he wrote approval immediate to NSITF to assert that broker on the 10th of May. These are the issues they want to conceal by sacking this people”, he concluded.
Reacting, Speaker Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila noted that the honourable had made serious allegations against the Labour Minister.
He said, “Those are very weighty allegations you have made and l hope you will be able to prove it, otherwise, the consequence may be very dire. If the allegations are true, they are very problematic, if not true, they are problematic”.
