Oshiomhole to Ngige: Inaugurate boards or be suspended from the party

Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has told the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that if he does not inaugurate the board members of federal agencies and parastatals under his ministry, he would be suspended by the party.

Oshiomhole said the APC under his leadership would not continue to tolerate ministers who abuse their offices and disrespect President Muhammadu Buhari by refusing to carry out his orders.

Recall that Ngige had faulted Oshiomhole on the constitution and inauguration of the board members of federal agencies and parastatals under his ministry.

The APC chairman, in a letter, had given the labour minister one week within which to constitute the board of the parastatals and agencies under his ministry.

The parastatals and agencies are the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), National Productivity Centre (NPC), and Michael Imoudu Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS).

But, Ngige, in his reply, explained why he would not constitute the board of NSITF within the one week ultimatum given by Oshiomhole.

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He expressed disbelief that such a letter could emanate from the APC chairman. Ngige had said, “Our National Chairman, I am in receipt of a letter referenced APC/NHDQ/ GEN-S/28/018/003 dated July 11, 2018, which was sent from your office and received by me on July 12, 2018.

“Ordinarily, I would not believe the letter was from you except for the barrage of media statements that came before I saw the letter. I read the contents of this letter with both amazement and utter disbelief.”

The minister said he had reconstituted three boards of the four agencies and parastatals under his ministry, but has not been able to constitute the board of NSITF because of cases of financial malfeasance, which had put the agency under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Details later…