Organized Labour Pleads With Ngige To Inaugurate NSITF Board

Labour Wants NSITF Board Inaugurated

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige’s refusal to inaugurate the board of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, several months after it was named, has continued to raise concern among stake holders, especially organised labour.

Concerned stakeholders, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, has argued that the law that established NSITF clarified that the fund should be managed by a board.

ASSBIFI said this in an interactive session with Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, in Lagos, as part of activities marking its 40th anniversary.

President of the association, Mrs Oyinkan Olasanoye, stated that the board would protect workers benefit and curb corruption, while pleading with the Minister to inaugurate the board.

She lamented that the minister had been appointing one committee after another, to investigate, review the work of the committee and so on, urging stakeholders to join hands together and ensure that NSITF does not die.

Olasanoye said the union was avoiding industrial action to press home its demand on NSITF because of negative effect of industrial action on the financial sector and the nation’s economy.

While stressing that ASSBIFI had opted for negotiations and dialogue, she said: “We believe in collective bargaining and will not allow anything to becloud our judgment because workers’ benefits are being entrusted to NSITF. We appeal to the minister to inaugurate the board of NSITF. The Act that set up NSITF states that there should be a board and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour should represent the minister.

“So if there is a board and the permanent secretary represents the Minister on the board, the minister should not say there are corrupt practices in the organisation when he has a representative there. We do not think that it is now that he is refusing to inaugurate the board that there will be no corrupt practices there. We feel the more people are there, the better.”

Olasanoye urged journalists not to relent in their efforts at promoting industrial harmony in the country and step up advocacy on workers’ welfare, saying: “That ASSBIFI is 40 years is not the big deal; but what ASSBIFI has been able to achieve in this turbulent and capitalist-ridden economy is the big deal. I am proud to say that ASSBIFI has come of age as we have a robust and intimidating image within the shores of the nation and in the Diaspora. We have demonstrated unprecedented integrity in the course of protecting the interest and welfare of our members.”

She appealed to the National Assembly to amend the Labour Act to “arrest ugly consequences of casualisation of workers” in the country which, she noted, might encourage corruption.

She said the union had liased with banks that sacked their staff to ensure that their workers got their severance packages.