The Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission has declared wanted, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the
Deputy Chairman, Finance Committee of the Goodluck Jonathan
Presidential
Campaign Organisation in 2015.
This is
after the anti-graft agency obtained an order from a court to declare her
wanted.
Olojeme, who
served as the Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, from
2009 until she was removed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, was accused
of diverting $48,485,127 from the social insurance scheme designed to provide
compensation to employees who suffer from occupational accidents or diseases in
the line of duty.
The accused
and some directors in the company were said to have siphoned billions of naira,
including funds meant for the payment of allowances of its staff as well as
compensation to contributors.
Upon her
removal by the present government, a petition was written to the EFCC alleging
that over N50bn from the Employee Compensation Scheme fund, paid by Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and private companies as well as another N18bn,
being the contribution of the Federal Government as take-off grant to the
NSITF, were mismanaged and diverted into the personal accounts of Olojeme and a
former Managing Director of the NSITF, Umar Abubakar
It was
learnt that several directors and contractors were invited to explain their own
side of the story, many of whom had since returned funds to the EFCC.
An EFCC
report, made available to newsmen alleged that the funds were said to have been
traced to the accounts of some consultants and contractors, who were believed
to be fronts for Olojeme and other directors in the NSITF.
The
anti-graft agency report said, “It was discovered that the NSITF accounts in
First Bank of Nigeria and other banks have witnessed a total turnover of over
N62,358,401,927 between 2012 and 2015 from the Employee Compensation Scheme
contributions.
“That out of
the N62bn, the Federal Government contributed N13,600,000,000 while the sum of
N48,758,401,927.80 was contributed by the private sector. That there were
several payments to individuals and companies from the NSITF bank accounts for
purported contracts or consultancy services.
“That some
individuals and companies that received these payments, in turn, transferred
part of the monies directly to the NSITF officials while others transferred
huge sums to bureau de change operators who changed them to dollars.”
The report
also said that Olojeme sent her account officer at FBN to collect $48m from
some NSITF contractors through a BDC operator.
It stated,
“That through this process, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the then NSITF board chairman,
has collected a total sum of $48,485,127 from Mr. Chuka Eze (her account
officer at FBN), which cash he collected on her behalf being the dollar
equivalent of monies paid to BDCs by NSITF contractors.
“That she
has refused to honour invitation and all efforts to get her to come and tell
her own side of the story have proved abortive hence her arrest warrant has
been obtained from court.
“We ask for
the EFCC chairman’s approval to declare the suspect wanted.”
Confirming
the development, the EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, stated that Olojeme
had been declared wanted and urged members of the public to offer information
that could lead to her arrest.
“Yes, she
has been declared wanted. Members of the public are advised to give us
information that would lead to her arrest,” he said.
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