22052019 - F U L A N I S AT I O N A G E N D A : Obasanjo seeks to divide Nigeria in his old age —FG

Raging storm over Kokori's replacement
as NSITF board chairman
By Victor Young
WHEN the Minister of Labour
and Employment, Senator
Chris Ngige, on Monday, May 13,
2019, inaugurated the Board of
Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund,
NSITF, with Mr. Austin Enejamo-
Isire, as chairman instead of veteran
unionist and pro-democracy fighter,
Chief Frank Kokori, little did he
know that he had just stirred the hornet's
nest. Indeed, the minister's action
was immediately greeted by a
storm of controversy that appears to
be escalating by the day.
It would be recalled that Kokori
was originally named chairman of
the board by Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo in September 2017, in his
capacity as the Acting President,
when President Muhammadu
Buhari was away in the United Kingdom
on medical trip. With the issue
in the front burner of public discourse,
many have canvassed different
motives behind the alleged plot,
scheme and maneuovre to ensure
that Chief Kokori was never swornin
as NSITF board chairman.
Those in a position to know have
traced the root of the unfolding controversy
to when President Buhari returned
from his medical trip.
Senator Ngige was said to have
sought and got his approval for Chief
Kokori to be sworn-in as chairman
of NSITF board. But in a baffling
twist of events, President Buhari was
to approve the appointment of another
person recommended by the
Minister of Labour a year after he
allegedly gave approval for the appointment
of Kokori. The question
is: What was the president told about
Kokori?
NLC writes
Presidency
What about the claim by the President
of Nigeria Labour Congress,
NLC, Ayuba Wabba, that the Minister
of Labour had expressed reservations
over the choice of the former
General Secretary of Nigeria Union
of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers,
NUPENG? Some observers are
of the opinion that actions and events
which later culminated into the replacement
of the veteran Labour
leader seemed to have given credence
to Wabba's allegations.
Also cited in this regard is the
minister's failure to inaugurate the
NSITF board after the naming of
Kokori as its chairman. This was in
spite of pressures from the National
Chairman of All Progressives Congress,
APC, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole, organised labour and
the umbrella body for employers in
the country, Nigeria Employers’
Consultative Association, NECA,
among others.
It is on record that the NLC, Trade
Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC,
United Labour Congress of Nigeria,
ULC, Association of Senior Staff of
Banks, Insurance and Financial
Institutions, ASSBIFI; Nigeria Union
of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers, NUPENG and Association
of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria,
ASCSN, at different times decried
the absence of a board and its effect
on social partners.
The NLC was reported to have
severally written to the Presidency
and even the minister on the need to
inaugurate the board. According to
Kokori... rejected.
reports, the first letter on December
15, 2017, was addressed to the Secretary
to the Government of Federation,
SGF, three months after Kokori
was appointed chairman. The NLC
in the letter titled: “Non-swearing in
of Board of NSITF and other Matters”,
was said to have, among others,
drawn attention of the SGF to
the continuous non-inauguration of
the NSITF Board three months after
the Federal Government had appointed
the chairman of the Board.
In between, the minister besides
congratulating Kokori for his
appointment, was said to have met
with the pro-democracy activist for
not less than four times to discuss the
issues relating to the fund and his
inauguration as chairman. The
minister in his defence for not
inaugurating the board said he was
cleaning up the corruption in the
place. He alleged that the previous
administration looted the fund and
it would be improper to inaugurate
a new board without first cleaning
up the mess.
Consequently, Ngige constituted a
nine-member administrative panel
of enquiry into NSITF finances, the
same finances the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC,
had investigated and charged about
six persons to court over the
mismanagement of the funds of the
agency. The administrative panel
turned in its report in July 2018, alleging
that about N62 billion was
looted by the former board.
Nothing was heard about the panel
report, or inauguration of the NSIFT
board till Wednesday, April 17, 2019
when the minister announced the
constitution of a new board of NSITF,
replacing Kokori with Mr. Austin
Enejamo-Isere. He equally informed
that President Buhari has instead approved
the appointment of Kokori
as chairman of the Board of Michael
Imoudu National Institute of Labour
Studies, MINILS.
Aborted inauguration
However, organised Labour rejected
the announcement and
stormed the venue of the planned
inauguration slated for April 18,
2019, which stalled the
inauguration. It was a development
the minister did not take lightly as
he described Labour's action as an
invasion by thugs.
Ngige... kingmaker.
Enejamo-Isire... chosen.
A statement by Rhoda Illiya, Head
of Press on behalf of the minister, informed
that “the inauguration of the
board of NSITF scheduled for today,
April 18, 2019 was postponed
because of security breach occasioned
by the siege on the Conference
Room of the Minister of Labour
and Employment, venue of the inauguration
by violent thugs imported
by the President of the Nigeria Labour
Congress, NLC, Ayuba Wabba
and Comrade Frank Kokori.”
It contended that “the postponement
was to avoid the degeneration
of the situation, where thugs were
already manhandling some officers
of the Ministry and policemen attached
to the office of the minister.”
The statement added: “The replacement
of Comrade Frank Kokori with
Mr. Austine Enajemo-Isere and his
transfer to the Board of Michael
Imoudu National Institute of Labour
Studies, MINILS, Ilorin, a diploma
awarding institution in Labour Relations
as chairman, followed due
process and the necessary
presidential approval.
“The approval for this exercise
was given by the appropriate
approving authority, which is the
President, and duly communicated
to the Ministry of Labour and
Employment. This is also in line with
the Act establishing the NSITF which
confers such powers on the President
on the recommendation of the minister.
“Comrade Kokori is expected to
report at his new chairmanship
posting by Mr. President at the
Michael Imodu National Institute
of Labour Studies, Ilorin, Kwara
State where his experience is more
relevant as the President has also
appointed Mr. Austin Enejamo-Isere,
an insurance executive
and seasoned banker, chartered
accountant, fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountant of Nigeria,
senior member of Chartered
Institute of Insurance,CIIN, as well
as Chartered Institute of Taxation to
bring his wealth of experience as the
Chairman of the NSITF.”The statement
warned that: “Government will
not tolerate a situation where Labour
Leaders challenge or vitiate the constitutional
powers of the President
over appointments.”
'Kokori's too rigid'
Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019— 29
Did Ngige refuse to
inaugurate Kokori
because he did not
nominate the veteran
unionist as NSITF
board chairman, or
because he did not like
his honesty,
transparency and
rigidity?
After this, the
disagreement
between
Labour and the
minister
degenerated
that at a
briefing on
May 7,
president of
NLC, Ayuba
W a b b a ,
revealed that he
had a meeting
with the
minister, where
N g i g e
expressed
dissatisfaction
with the choice
of Frank
Kokori as
chairman of
the Fund’s
board, alleging
that the minister
had confessed
to some
Labour leaders
that his major
problem with
the appoint-
ment of Chief Kokori was that the
veteran unionist was too rigid for his
liking.
He threatened that labour would
picket the minister anywhere they
saw him, saying: “Since President
Muhammadu Buhari approved the
reconstitution of the Board of the
NSITF, I recalled meeting with you
(Ngige) on four different occasions
on this matter. At our first meeting,
you expressed dissatisfaction with
the choice of Comrade Frank Kokori
as the board chairman of NSITF. I
remember vividly that I reminded
you of Frank Kokori’s track record
of capacity and integrity and thus
his suitability to head the NSITF
board, especially given the scandals
that trailed past NSITF boards and
given the fact that Frank Kokori is
perceived as being rigid and honest.
“Dr. Ngige confessed to some of us
that his major problem with the
appointment of Chief Kokori is that
he is too rigid for his liking. We want
to reiterate that it is only very rigid
and incorruptible people like Chief
Kokori that we want to superintend
over our money in NSITF.”
Responding through his Special
Assistant on Media, Nwachukwu
Obidiwe, the minister, however, said
that he never nominated Chief
Kokori as chairman of the NSITF,
saying: “However, an appropriate
recommendation has been made by
the minister in conformity with the
NSITF Act and in fairness to the
spirit of the labour tripartism. A
chartered accountant, senior fellow
of the Institute of Insurance of Nigeria
and fellow of the Institute of
Taxation of Nigeria, Austin Isire, has
been nominated and approved by
the president as the chairman of
the board of the NSITF.
“A neutral person, for the avoidance
of doubt, is one who is neither
pro-labour unions which Kokori is,
nor Nigeria Employers Consultative
Association, NECA, an umbrella
body representing private sector
manufacturers nor a member of the
government.” The statement added
that: “...The minister of labour and
employment can neither be intimidated
by blackmail nor by hooliganism.
Certainly, Sen. Ngige cannot be
derailed from carrying out his legitimate
duties as directed by the President
by unionism.”
The relationship between the
organised Labour worsened on May
8, when Wabba-led other labour to
picket the private residence of the
minister in Asokoro, Abuja, where
suspected thugs attacked the labour
leaders leading to the hospitalisation
of nine labour leaders at the
National Hospital.
However, on Sunday, May 12, the
Presidency through the Special
Adviser to President Buhari on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina,
said among others, that: “The appointment
of the chairman of this
board, NSITF, which is in consonance
with Section 4(a) of the NSITF
Act CAP N88 of 2004 was also approved
by Mr. President since July
23, 2018 on the recommendation of
the minister.
The statement also informed that:
“Comrade Frank Kokori, our
respected veteran labour leader, has
Mr President’s immense respect and
has also been appointed on the
recommendation of the Minister of
Labour and Employment to chair the
board of Michael Imoudu National
Institute for Labour Studies,
MINILS, a diploma awarding
labour institution".
Immense
respect
This put paid to any hope of Chief
Kokori being sworn-in as chairman
of NSITF board. Nevertheless, there
are several issues that are begging
for clarification over the
replacement of Chief Kokori as
NSITF board. To start with, did
Ngige refuse to inaugurate Kokori
because, he did not nominate the
veteran unionist as NSITF board
chairman, or because he did not like
his honesty, transparency and
rigidity of Chief Kokori? If Kokori
was appointed chairman of NSITF
board by President Buhari instead
of Vice President Osinbajo, would the
minister have refused to inaugurate
him for about two years after the
appointment?
Is it true that some powerful cabal
in the presidency, working with one
of the leaders of APC faction in Delta
State, who is said to be a major
contractor to the NDDC and a leading
figure in the June 12, 1993 struggle,
schemed out Chief Kokori as
chairman of the board? Is it true that
close to N2 billion was spent to stop
Kokori from becoming NSITF
board chairman? Will Nigerians
ever know the real reasons why Chief
Kokori was dropped as chairman of
the board? Why did it take the
minister or the Presidency so long to
come out clean over Chief Kokori’s
appointment? When did the
Presidency realise that Kokori should
no longer be the chairman of the
board? Is Kokori a victim of a
powerful cabal in the presidency that
does not accept any action taken by
the Vice President whenever he acts
as President? There are many
questions left unanswered.
Unfortunately, the answers may
never be provided.