The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to pull out civil servants from the National Housing Fund contributory scheme over non-remittance of deduction made by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
President of the NLC Joe Ajaero made the submission while appearing before the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee investigating the Non-Remittance to the NHF and Utilisation of the Funds from 2011 till Date.
Ajaero told the committee that the federal mortgage bank has kept civil servants in the dark on the status of their deductions as they have failed to send them monthly alerts asking the lawmakers to take drastic steps to remove the encumbrances to affordable and quality housing to millions of Nigerians especially workers who make the most contributions to the scheme.
According to him, the immediate past Managing Director of the bank, Ahmed Dangiwa, who is now the Minister of Housing and
Urban Development, said he left behind N120 billion in the coffers of
the bank, but wondered why most Nigerian workers are still struggling to benefit from the scheme in spite of this milestone alleged to have been achieved by him.
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Managing Director of the National Housing Fund, Madu Hamman in his presentation, said the total amount of contribution from MDAs from 2011 till date stands at 238 billion naira adding that individual’s contribution from 2011 till date was 225 million naira while the ministerial housing scheme got 34.5 billion naira contributions.
Madu appealed to the committee to allow him time to reconcile conflicting documents from the ministerial housing pilot scheme, which was missing from the one before the lawmakers.
Chairman of the committee, Dachung Bagos who expressed displeasure at the inconsistencies in the documents presented by the Managing Director, revealed that many officials of Federal Mortgage Bank would be on their way to Kuje prison if lawmakers relied on his presentation
The committee, therefore, resolved to adjourn the hearing following a request by the MD to enable them put all the necessary documents together.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
