BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
THE National Union of Insurance and Financial Employees, NUBIFIE, is fast creating a unique identity as a union with the highest leadership turn-over in Nigeria.  In the last 10 years, NUBIFIE has had no fewer than eight Presidents, six of whom were removed unceremoniously.

The Presidents were Ernest Oni, Simon Ifezue, Ademola Bolarinwa, Babayola Mohammed, Lawal Ahobi, Hassan Adeleke and  Martins Odigie. Today, Peter Okafor is the acting President.

Labour Vanguard investigation, revealed that while Ernest Oni handed over to Ifezue constitutionally after a delegates conference of the union, Ahobi could not hand over before his untimely death. The latest president to be sacked before the end of his tenure is Martins Odigie, who also staged a coup against Hassan Adeleke.

Odigie and National Treasurer, Comrade Peter Ighegue, at the time of this report, have been suspended over fraud allegation that is put at over N75 million. At a briefing in Lagos, Acting President of the union, Comrade Peter Okafor, summarized how the alleged crimes of the suspended officers and the General Secretary, now on eight years accumulated leave as follows;

“failure of the General Secretary and President to call for regular constitutional organs meeting, trip to Geneva without approval for the huge amount of money expended on the trip, executing expenditure without approval by the National Administrative Council, NAC, incurring large hotel bills while at the same time renting apartments with the union’s resources ( i.e. maintaining a hotel as well as rented apartments at the expense of the union), non- rendition of financial report on the  amount accrued from the delegates’ conference levies as required by the constitution among others.

He recalled the delegates’ conference of January 29, 2011 where Comrade  Odigie as the President and Comrade Elijah  Ola as the General Secretary emerged respectively.

According to him, “It is important to note that the January 2011 Delegates’ Conference came on the heels of the removal of the erstwhile president, who  breached the union’s constitution and his consistent actions of impropriety.

It was Comrade Odigie who was then the Acting President when his predecessor was placed on suspension that constituted the probe committee to look into the allegations of financial recklessness and other unethical practices leveled against his predecessor.”

“While it took almost four years into the administration of the former President before the the constitutional breaches manifested, unfortunately, in less than 10 months into the administration of Comrade Odigie the volume of financial malfeasance and large scale impropriety engaged by suspended officers was mind-boggling.

The General Secretary (who is now on leave) whose unethical action bordering on misguidance of the two principal officers,  equally failed in his responsibility to give proper counseling and guidance as demanded by the constitution.”

Specific mandate

“The January 2011 National Delegates’ Conference, NDC, where Comrade Odigie emerged as President, gave some specific mandates among which are urgent completion of construction work at the National Secretariat of the union.

Prompt and consistent servicing of the union’s mortgage facility; conscious effort to pay outstanding entitlements of the union’s retirees; organizing and funding of educational programmes for (rank and file) members and exploring viable investment opportunities as alternative source of revenue for the union, among others given by the January 2011  conference.”

The acting President of the union, lamented that “10 months down the line, none of the mandates given by the highest decision making body of the union, the NDC, has been implemented. But, this in itself, would not have been the issue were it not that within this 10 months the total revenue generated by the union, in terms of monthly check-off and some outstanding conference levies that came into the coffers of the union even after the conference was almost far more than the total revenue accrued for the previous four years.”

“However, despite the huge accruals of revenue, none of the mandates as enumerated earlier has been carried out. But rather imprudently, the fund was squandered by the trio. These individuals, we gather are now going about trying to make an issue on matters that ought to  by now make them guests of anti-graft agencies, but for objectivity and fair hearings approach of the Union.”

Frequentleadership change:

Rationalising frequent leadership change in NUBIFIE, Comrade Okafor said, “You may wonder why these frequent changes. It has to do with the nature of our industry which is anchored on trust, accountability and transparency, with zero tolerance for fraud and fraudulent tendencies regardless of who is involved.

As workers in the finance industry we have to not, only be seen but to act in such a manner that would truly reflect the finer ethics required by our industry and the public at large.

In line with our constitution and the usual resolve of the union to give fair hearing to any erring officer, an Independent Probe Committee was set-up to look into the books of account of the union in order to unravel the facts as to the level of culpability of each officer concerned.”

He added that the Committee set up to investigate alleged financial recklessness had “since done its work, but while in the process of the Committee work, the affected Officers were invited to either come and shed more lights in the face of emerging facts or defend themselves against such facts, unfortunately they refused to appear before the Committee that was duly constituted by a Constitutional Organ of the Union and in line with the requirement of the Union’s Constitution.”