NIMC crisis: FG losing N0.36bn to falsification of records —SSASCGOC

The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies  (SSASCGOC), has cried out at the level of impunity going on at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and alleged that the Federal Government was losing N0.36 billion to falsification of records.

The association, which has written the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige on the issue of trade unionism in NIMC, warned that if the on-going impunity in the commission as regards people with falsification of records who are still receiving salary and enjoying government money, as well as on-going regrading are not quickly addressed, it will result in serious crisis.

“If the Federal Government does  not intervene at the right time over the rate of impunity going on in NIMC, in terms of people with falsified records who still enjoy government money; and also concerning the regrading going-on, there will be serious crisis,” the General Secretary of SSASCGOC, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi said.

He added: “On the issue of regrading, nobody knows the requirement being used by the management of NIMC. They are doing that to just push their cronies and people up at the detriment of the more qualified and hardworking staff. We want to know the criteria they are using, let the government come in and help us to unravel this.

“The government is losing up to about N360 million as salaries to people that falsified records.”

Also, in a letter titled: “Re: Trade Unionism in NIMC,” addressed to the Minister of Labour, the association expressed concern over the way and manner the ministry had been handling the issue of the trade dispute declared in their earlier letter.

The letter signed by the SSASCGOC President, Comrade M.A Yunusa and the General Secretary, Comrade Olorunfemi, regretted that the ministry had refused to rectify the issue of its check-off dues which was withheld by NIMC management following the advice from the former Director of Trade Union and Industrial Relations in the ministry; even after SSASCGOC had complied with the judgement of the National Industrial Court (NIC) and had been duly certified by the Register of Trade Union.

The letter read: “We were further shocked that a trade dispute declared on 16th March 2017, was not heard until 5th May 2017 when industrial strike was looming in the NIMC.

“At the end of the conciliatory meeting, it was agreed that since the matter could not be resolved by the conciliator, it should be referred to the Industrial Arbitration Panel ( IAP), for adjudication. It is even more worrisome that three months after the decision to refer the matter to IAP was reported to the minister, the matter is yet to be referred.

“It is truly worrisome that when the law prescribes 14 days for such to be done, the ministry is yet to comply even after three months.”

The union reminded the minister that SSASCGOC produced the first President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), while NIMC “is a statutory corporation established by Acts of Parliament to amongst other things establish and maintain national identity database; its staff are not civil servants.”

The letter stated that staff of NIMC voluntarily opted to be members of SSASCGOC following the provision of the Trade Union Acts 2005 by completing SSASCGOC membership forms.

Besides, it stated that check-off dues were paid to SSASCGOC as and when due until the ministry ordered its suspension without any query issued to the union by the registrar of trade union as provided by law; adding that the union had not received check-off dues since November 2016.

The letter said: “In view of the above, the minister is hereby humbly and respectfully requested to act on the outcome of the 5th May, 2017 meeting if he cannot reverse the huge error of judgement by the ministry. The Federal Government has invested hugely in NIMC and any attempt to promote disharmony there will not serve the interest of our dear country.”