The embattled former Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Investment Trust Fund (NSITF), Michael Akabogu,has been criticised over his allegations against the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige.
Akabogu, who was sacked following allegations of parading forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, had accused the Labour Minister of instigating his removal for allegedly refusing to do his biddings which were against extant laws establishing the Fund.
But a Civil Society Organisation, Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria (ELFON), accused the ex-NSITF MD of cover up, adding that he can approach the Court if he felt he was unjustly removed from office.
The group, in a statement in Abuja by its National President, Godstime Chibuikem, insisted that Akabogu should be sober for breaching public trust instead of trying to smear the image of the minister.
According to the statement, the former NSITF boss should apologise to Nigerians “.
The statement read in part: “The circumstances that led to his removal was all over the media. One would have expected him to approach the courts of law to exonerate himself if he was wrongly accused instead of trying drag the good name of the minister and other innocent Nigerians into his ordeal.
“Akabogu should also explain how he ran the office for the time he spent there before he was unceremoniously removed.”
The organisation said it was laughable that Akabogu claimed to have been booted out by the minister and other persons for his stance against corruption, when it was found to be otherwise.
The group dismissed Akabogu’s claims as frivolous, saying the former NSITF boss was only trying to deflect the issue.
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“It smacks of hypocrisy for Akabogu to attempt to smear the name of the Minister of Labour and other staff over allegations of corruption, especially against the background of his tenure .
“Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Akabogu denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he was being victimized by powerful individuals who wanted to take over NSITF.
“On February 3rd, 2023, the Executive Director of Operations of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), signed an internal memo announcing the Akabogu’s dismissal following a petition by a whistleblower in 2022, who accused Akabogu of forging his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate. He was then invited by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for questioning.
“Thereafter, an investigation commenced, which led to the discovery of the alleged certificate forgery. The NPF then reached out to the NYSC for verification of the certificate, and the response was damning.
“In a letter dated November 3rd, 2022, the NYSC informed the NPF that the
Certificate of National Service belonging to Akabogu Michael C, with certificate number A030544, was never issued by them The response read thus: “I wish to inform you that the Certificate of National Service belonging to Akabogu Michael C with Certificate number A030544 forwarded for verification was not issued by the NYSC.”
“This revelation led to Akabogu’s dismissal from his position as the head of the NSITF, as the Agency could not continue to have someone accused of such serious misconduct in a leadership position.
“The neglect of official duties by Akabogu not only constitutes a breach of trust but also threatened the welfare of Nigerians who rely on the NSITF for social insurance coverage as the Fund is responsible for ensuring that workers are protected from financial loss in the event of work-related accidents or illnesses.”