Panel summons Adeosun, others over N17bn fund

A House of Representatives adhoc panel yesterday summoned Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun over N17 billion some government agencies failed to contribute into the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Also invited are the ministers of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige. They are to appear before the panel today to give reasons for poor remittances into the fund.

The panel, which is investigating non-remittances into NSITF, chaired by Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwu Onyema, equally summoned the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris.

The committee said available records indicated that hundreds of governments agencies were supposed to make contributions into the fund in the past several years.

However, members of the panel said it appeared most of the agencies “deliberately failed to do so in apparent disregard to the laws of the land.”

Onyema, said government agencies owed up to N17 billion, while the Nigeria Police, which is yet to join the scheme, owe N16.2 billion.

Earlier while declaring the hearing open, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, expressed dismay at the way government agencies disregard laws of the land in payment of taxes and contributions into insurance fund.

The Managing Director of NSITF, Adebayo Somefun, told the panel that most state governments were yet to join the scheme.