NLC has given FG seven-day ultimatum over NSITF and PenCom crisis.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given the Federal Government seven days to resolve what it calls critical governance failures in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and the National Pension Commission (PenCom).
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, issued the ultimatum on Wednesday during the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Abuja, warning that failure to act will lead to industrial unrest.
Ajaero accused the government of illegally diverting 40% of workers’ contributions into national revenue, describing it as a “flagrant violation” of NSITF statutes and a direct assault on workers’ social protection rights. He also condemned alleged attempts to amend the NSITF Act to give the government full control over workers’ funds.
“The NSITF belongs to Nigerian workers. All diverted funds must be returned within seven working days,” Ajaero declared. “The government must also constitute the PenCom Governing Board in full compliance with the law within the same period.”
The CWC criticised the “unlawful vacuum” at PenCom, warning that the absence of a governing board increases the risk of mismanagement and political interference in pension funds, which it described as “deferred wages, not state revenue.”
The meeting also ratified the dissolution of the Edo State Administrative Council of the NLC over alleged unethical conduct, appointing a Caretaker Committee to oversee fresh elections.
If the government fails to act within the seven-day deadline, the NLC warned it “will no longer guarantee industrial peace in the sector.”
