ITF DG Denies Funding Jonathan’s Campaign With N700m

The Director General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mrs Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko, said the allegation that she used the agency’s N700 million to fund former President Goodluck Jonathan’s election campaign was untrue. Speaking at a media roundtable in Abuja on Thursday, Chukkas-Onaeko described the accusation allegedly made by some members of staff of the organisation as ‘’ridiculous and painful’’.
She stated that those peddling the `falsehood’ should have known that it was impossible for her to sign off such huge amount of money without appropriation. She said, “I am sure that when they wrote that thing they expected me to go and commit suicide or for the President to just shoot my head.

“If I were going to steal money to fund somebody’s campaign, where did they expect me to get it from? N700 million is not what you just sign off like that. “The former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganda, under whom I served, is a professional, not a politician.
“I don’t know of other chief executive officers under him, but nobody ever told me to bring money for campaign; PDP never asked me for any money,’’ Chukkas –Onaeko said. She also dismissed the allegation that she transferred N1.2 billion to the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) without due process.

She explained that the money was provided for in the agency’s 2014 budget to fund the ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Programme (TSDP) launched in 2009. “Every year, there is funding provided for it, which is in the budget and is approved by the National Assembly. “By the time I came on board in 2014, they had already disbursed about 70 per cent of the money. That budget wasn’t drawn up by me.
“What I saw in the trend was that on a yearly basis, the money allocated for the programme was increased by between 10 and 20 per cent to reflect current economic realities. “But, in the 2015 budget, which is the only one I have presided over, I refused to approve the increase. “Instead, we increased the number of participating companies from below 10 at inception to the current 14 which is against the initial arrangement.

I expected to be commended for that,’’ she said. The director general said that she had stepped on many toes since she came on board by blocking the avenues through which they were making easy money from the agency. One of such avenues, she disclosed, was the outrageous monthly rent of N9.5 million being paid by the agency on a property housing one of its offices before she assumed duty.
According to her, the landlord was forced to reduce it to N5 million monthly following her insistence that the rent was either renegotiated or the office be relocated to a cheaper accommodation. “I think this is one of the ways I’m stepping on many toes, because people who are used to making easy money will definitely react when you attempt to block them. “Corruption is something that when you fight it, it fights back even more aggressively and if you are not careful you end up being the corrupt one.
“That is the jacket that they have sown, but I refuse to wear it. Anybody saying I’ve taken millions illegally should come and check, the system is open for them.” Chukkas-Onaeko also debunked the workers’ allegation that she was insensitive to their welfare, saying that within her one year in office she had worked a lot on staff welfare. She stated that staff salary was doubled, while the money set aside for staff loan was also increased from N250 million to N500 million.

Credit: Vanguard

FG Spent Our Pensions On Jonathan’s Campaign- Pensioners

Federal retirees, under the banner of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, on Thursday accused the Federal Government of using their 10 months unpaid contributory pension to support the electioneering campaign project of President Goodluck Jonathan.

They said the action subjected them to abject poverty.

The retirees made the allegation at a press conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while protesting their unpaid monthly pension.

They said over 20 of their colleagues died in the struggle to have their pension paid.

The over 100 protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “We have suffered enough after 35 years service to our fatherland”; “PenCom is owing retirees 10 months arrears of unpaid pension and gratuities”;  and” N4.6 trillion has been used for campaign, Abi na lie”.

The leader of the pensioners, Samuel Kojusola, said the association noticed some anomalies in government’s implementation of Reform Act 2014.

He listed them to include computation and compilation of retirement benefits, meagre amount paid as monthly pension, review of pension and non-payment of retirement benefits.

Mr. Kojusola said it was disheartening that workers all over the country who retired under the contributory pension scheme since August 2014 are yet to have their lump sum or monthly payment settled by the Commission

“What do they want the retiree to be eating after serving Federal Government of Nigeria for 35 years meritoriously? We suspect that our money in the kitty of Pencom has been used for 2015 electioneering campaign,” he said.

He also lamented that almost a year after the Pension Reform Act 2014 was signed into law, contributory pensioners in Nigeria were yet enjoy increment on their pension since 2007 till date.

The chairman said pension review was a constitutional right of any retiree in Nigeria as enshrined under Section 15(4) of the new Act.

He said, ‘Retirees have been complaining seriously on meagre amount paid as monthly pension either as monthly withdrawal or annuity. Contributory pensions received only 20-25% of their last pay as monthly pension, while a pensioner in the old pension scheme receives 80% of his last pay as monthly pension’

“Pension Reform Act 2004 section (4) stipulated that retirees will have not less than 50% of their last pay as monthly pension as at the date of their retirement. None of the retirees enjoy this amount since the inception of the act till date. Unfortunately the portion has been expunged from the new pension reform act 2014. What have we done to deserve this ugly treatment? This is a leeway for PFA’s to milk us perpetually,” the pensioners lamented.

Creditpremiumtimesng