NSITF boss denies job racketeering allegation

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Adebayo Somefun, has dispelled allegations of job racketeering in the organisation. Somefun, who spoke in Abuja recently, dispelled the notion that the fund is engaged in a massive secret recruitment exercise. Speaking through the General Manager, Administration, Olusegun Basorun, Somefun said whenever the fund recruited, […]

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Adebayo Somefun, has dispelled allegations of job racketeering in the organisation.

Somefun, who spoke in Abuja recently, dispelled the notion that the fund is engaged in a massive secret recruitment exercise.

Speaking through the General Manager, Administration, Olusegun Basorun, Somefun said whenever the fund recruited, it did not charge prospective applicants for job placements and challenged anyone with credible evidence on such illegal charges to present it.

He said: “Matters relating to recruitment form part of the schedule of the general manager administration which include the authority to sign appointment letters as delegated. But before such letters are issued, certain things must happen. One of the things that must happen is the approval of the Federal Character Commission. The last time we recruited here was the first quarter of 2018and since that time, no one has been recruited.

“Here at NSITF, the Parastatal Tenders Board awards contracts as stipulated by the Public Procurement Act 2007. The process of awarding contract starts from the budget preparation from the agencies and then goes to the National Assembly for defence. Once the National Assembly approves the budget, we now do a procurement plan that entails what are we going to do and when are we going to do it. After the Procurement Planning Committee has approved the plan, we now start executing it one after the other.”

Somefun noted that for any government agency to collect money from a job applicant, such vacancies must be advertised “to tell the public how much to pay, whether such money is for scratch cards or something like that. It is a well-known fact that government stopped payment for jobs by applicants. The National Assembly has frowned against such act.”

He further explained that neither him as managing director nor the general manager administration signed contracts, adding that the head of procurement was authorised to sign all contract letters in the fund.