NIMC boss denies alleged N30b fraud, sack of 1,000 workers

THE Director General (DG) of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Chris Onyemenam, has denied allegation that more than N30 billion had been embezzled in the last five years under him as head of the Commission, even as he said the recently sacked workers had the opportunity to fair hearing before the action was taken.

Onyemenam, who addressed the press yesterday in Abuja, while reacting to the protest embarked upon by some of the Commission’s aggrieved workers, who alleged that the DG besides mismanaging the human resources also misappropriated more than N30 billion in the last five years.

He said the allegations were false and a misrepresentation of facts, planned to discredit the board, top management and his person, and to divert attention from the prosecution of some members of staff found to have falsified their service records.

Responding to the alleged planned sack of workers, Oyemenam said, “It is not true that NIMC has planned to sack or retrench 1,000 workers. However, 406 senior members of staff who falsified their service records and thus have been profiting from that fraud have been formally reported to the appropriate offices for further action.

“The rationale behind our action is to ensure that we maintain integrity and ensure that our cards are respected everywhere. We provided room for fair hearing. The action embarked upon by the staff association is an attempt to shift attention from the real issues. What we have done is to seek global best practices,” he maintained.

“Embezzlement of N30 billion again is misunderstanding of the facts that have been interpreted to suit the presenter’s purpose. ‎In September 2011 government approved N30.066 billion for the procurement of cards and the accelerated expansion of the back end. And within budgetary constraints, we are very proud of the support we have received “

“‎Management has ensured that all annual accounts of the NIMC are audited and approved by the board before submission to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation as required by law. It is also published on our website as part of an annual report on the NIMC for each year. The 2014 accounts that has just been approved by the board will be published shortly,” he stated.

Recall that the Senior Staff Association on Tuesday laid a siege to the entrance of the Commission, preventing both human and vehicular movement into the headquarters for close to two hours. They said the management of the company under Chris Onyemenam has being corrupt and defying all forms of decorum or considerate industrial standards as exemplified by the planned sack of over 1,000 workers, saying it is unlawful and against acceptable labour principles.