BUDGET IMPASSE AN INDICTMENT ON NIGERIANS, SAYS NECA

Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) Director-General Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo has said the impasse over the 2016 Appropriation Bill is an indictment on Nigerians.

Speaking when the Ag. Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ismail Agaka visited him, Mr. Oshinowo said it was a shame that the Budget was still not out four months into the year.

He said: “The inability of the National Assembly and Executives to produce the 2016 Budget is saying something silently loud about our Country. I think it is shameful that there is no Budget four months into the year. What kind of image are we painting of our Country outside? We need to urgently address our mind to a situation where our Budget for the current year is unusually delayed. What stops us from getting our Budget to be passed before the commencement of the Budget year and then address those issues that have served as encumbrance to passing the Budget annually?”

Speaking on the Employees Compensation Scheme, Mr. Oshinowo expressed satisfaction over the decision of the NSITF to adopt social dialogue in the Implementation of the Scheme, saying: “I am happy that NSITF is relying on Social Dialogue approach rather than on the Law that establishes Employees Compensation Scheme to collect remittances. There are so many things that officialdom may lack the capacity to resolve. We can always meet outside of official capacities to share information, strategize and plan on what is to be done to resolve thorny issues for the benefit of the country. “This strategy has gone a long way in helping the NSITF over the last few years. I want to assure NSITF that we have not changed, we remain who are and are ready to cooperate with NSITF to ensure the success of its programmes.”

He expressed the support of the Organised Private Sector for the Institutionalisation of Corporate Governance by the Ag. MD into the operations of the NSITF and called for early convocation of the Interactive aspect of the Safe Workplace Intervention Programme (SWIP) to enable employers who have complaints about the Implementation of the ECA to put them forward for speedy resolution.

He said: “I think it is better to have the interactive session around July because delaying in order to have the whole SWIP will deny employers that want to ventilate their complaints. Since the Interactive Session addresses the quality of Service that is rendered, if NSITF is unable to address the Contributors that might affect Inflow of Contribution. Meeting the Lagos group because a lot is happening there that will be interesting to the operations of the ECA.”

In his remarks, the Acting Managing Director of NSITF, Ismail Agaka said the Fund was institutionalizing Corporate Governance structures to boost its operations and expressed confidence that Corporate Governance would, clearly spells out procedures and processes of NSITF.

According to him, “Corporate Governance is a system, method, process and procedure that governs Organizational Businesses. Where there is a breakdown in the procedure, there would be negative impact not only on the organisation, but also on other stakeholders who relate with the Organisation. It is no secret that not only NSITF, but also the Public Sector over the years has witnessed this dysfunctional Corporate Governance. What we are therefore doing at the NSITF is in tandem with the Change Mantra of the present Administration.”

17 April 2016. Culled from The Nation Online