House Of Reps Suspects Foul Play In ITF, Involving N12 Billion
The House of Representatives, suspecting financial foul play, has ordered the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), to account for over N12 billion difference recorded in its accrued budget actuals as at December 31st, 2022.
The Chairman of the House committee on Finance, James Falake,
gave the order for the probe when the management of ITF appeared before the Committee for the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper interactive session in Abuja.
He expressed grave concern over the failure of the management of the Industrial Training Fund to embark on revenue generation from over 128,000 private and public quoted companies operating in Nigeria.
After scrutinizing various financial statements submitted to the Committee, Hon. Faleke queried the disparity with the audited report submitted by ITF, revealing a deficit of over N12 billion
Faleke observed that the difference was noticed in the accrued budget actuals as recorded in the Auditor General’s report for the same period.
He queried the operating expenditure of N39.8 billion in 2022 with a total revenue of N45.1 billion by the ITF, with only 2,691 staff nationwide.
He warned that if ITF failed to account for the difference after 24 hours, it would be forced to refund the entire N3 billion to government coffers.
The Director of Finance and Accounts in ITF, Mrs. Safiya Mansur, said that the fund sourced it’s revenue from the one per cent training contributions from public and private companies.
According to her, there are 128,000 registered companies contributing employers to the ITF, out of which only 57,000 are up to date in their contribution.
To ensure compliance, she said, the ITF intensified monitoring of the defaulting companies, where some resorted to litigation but was later resolved due to the intervention of the previous house committee.
Issues Around Past Census In Kogi Revisited, By Kenneth S. S Enebe
Issues of population census has been endemicaly used and orchestrated as a tool of political domination for ethnic interest in Kogi State and to undermine human morality for rotational governance.
This has lingered on since the creation of the state in 1991, up to 2016.
Critical analysis has been revealed in the November 16, 2019 Kogi state governorship election, a testimony that proclamation of higher population in Kogi state has all been figures manufactured on paper, far from realities.
To buttress these are the comparative and circumstancial scenarios in 1963 ,1991 and 2006 Nigeria population census figures for each constituent of the state as shown below:-
In 1963:
Kogi Central – 208,995
Kogi Eeat – 161,603
Kogi West – 84,686
In 1991:
KC- 753456
KE- 949435*
KW- 444,865*
In 2006:
KC – 928,655
KE – 1,484,345
KW – 909,746
Population increases :-
KC 1963 – 1991 – 544, 461 KC 1991-2006 – 175,199 KE 1963 -1991 – 787, 832 KE 1991- 2006 – 534,910 KW 1963 -1991- 360,179 KW 1991- 2006 – 464,881
It is on record that in 1963, census was conducted on the basis of Division Locality with kogi Central (Ebira Division), Kogi East (Idah, Dekina and Ankpa Divisions) and Kogi West ( Kabba Division)
The United Nations approved minimum population percentage growth over 10 years circle, but over the years did not apply in Kogi Central, whose population degenerated to a mere increase of 175,199 between 1991 and 2006 census?
It is interesting to know that from 1963 to 2006, there was no war, famine, natural disasters, migration, etc; rather the people were actively fertile. Most of the people are Muslims and traditionalists who married multiple matrimony and therefore have more births, in addition to emigration of people for social and economic endowment activities.
What therefore should be the justification for Ebira Division population to crawl, growing 208,995, ridiculously, while that of Dekina, Idah and Ankpa Divisions population of 161,603 in 1963 respectively were ridiculously growing?
There is also the issue of the 2006 population census that have remained unattended.
It is on record and is contestable that people of Kogi East(Igallas) ganged up and desperately protested against Kogi state National population Commissioner, S.S Lawal for his removal prior to 2006 census and replaced him with Chief PKC Atuwo and Director, Dr.K.O Lawal, who were used and who requested for an additional 24 boxes of form NP.01 from NPC HQ that were meant for enumeration of 96,000 people which was exclusively diverted and distributed among the nine LGA of Kogi East thus:- Dekina 5, Ofu 2, Olamoboro 2, Igalamela Odolu 2, Idah 2, Ibaji 2, Ankpa3, Bassa 2 and Omala 4.
The European Union census officials were privy to the report of this manipulation.
These facts about Population Questions in kogi state should be an eye opener to all Kogite, especially those in the Central Senatorial District.
These questions are begging for answers and seeking for the normalization of the obvious anomalies.
Enebe wrote in from Abuja