Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption agencies, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have been called to beam their searchlights on alleged monumental salary fraud at the Ajaokuta Steel Company, a Federal Government owned facility.
The call was made by a Group under the auspices of North East Youths Assembly led by the National President, Hamisu Mohammad Dass who said that the latest finding is just one of many alleged corrupt practices plaguing the company.
The group, in a statement made available to Journalists on Sunday revealed that a preliminary investigation it carried out showed a high level of alleged corruption within the company’s staff recruitment process.
The President of the Assembly stated that the investigations uncovered discrepancies in staff salaries, with employees receiving significantly lower amounts than stated in their appointment letters.
The Assembly cited two cases of staff members who were recruited as “Graduate Manpower” but received monthly salaries of N18,000 instead of the stipulated N100,000 and GL 8/4 basic salary, respectively stating that, “this translates to a deficit of N82,000 and N72,000, respectively, per month.”
Hamisu Mohammed Dass expressed outrage over the findings, questioning why a third party, Hamdan International Limited, was involved in the employment and salary payment of staff working in Ajaokuta Steel Company.
He demanded to know who was behind the fraud and called for an immediate probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
The Assembly urged the anti-graft agencies to demand appointment letters of staff members and compare them with their monthly earnings as shown in their respective bank statements.
He emphasized that the Youths population was most affected by issues of employment and that the Assembly would not stand by and watch anyone jeopardize their interests.
The North East Youth Assembly also demanded absolute disclosure of the partnership agreement between the company and consortia, warning against shady agreements like the Mambilla Hydropower project, which was trapped by mischievous consortium partners.
They insisted that Nigerians deserve to know what is being signed and that the agreement should be between the Federal Government and the consortium, without middlemen.
He then stressed that the Assembly remains committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and will continue to fight against corruption and protect the interests of the youth population.
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