By Emmanuel Thomas
November 16, 2015 – Trade Union Congress (TUC) is angry with the Federal Government over alleged payment of N25 billion as one day consultation fee to REMITA, a firm hired to implement the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
In a statement signed by President and Secretary of the association, Comrades Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal, the TUC called on the consultant to return the money if it is true that it collected the money for one day job.
TUC said it is perplexed about what REMITA did in a single day to merit N25 billion as payment and noted that it is a good thing the federal government has invited the governors over the issue.
“But beyond that, we would expect that all the pros and cons linking the N25b must be investigated and the money returned if the administration must be taken seriously”, the TUC said.
The TUC reminded the President Buhari led administration about the promise to restore the glory and public confidence of the people.
“The anti-corruption mantra of the present administration must be fought out no matter whose ox is gored. We support Single Treasury Account policy, but not when it has to do with the misplacement of N25bn, in the name of consultancy.
“Consultancy is a neo-liberal policy of the Brettonwood institutions that has fanned the embers of all the anti-labour practices we have today. Today, casualisation, outsourcing, downsizing and redundancy have become the order of the day in virtually all the organizations and we frown at it. We have some posers”, it said and wondered why a consultant will be hired in the first place.
“Does it mean the CBN has no credible hands that can handle such jobs even with all the foreign trainings and its cost implications? And why pay CBN workers so much if they cannot carry out such simple assignment as ensuring compliance of a policy?”, it queried.
It added that for Remita, an e-collection agent to collect N25 billion for a day’s job smacks of corruption.
“We are disturbed by this revelation and we insist that beyond probe the money must be repaid to the treasury. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance must suspend further implementation of the policy if TSA is all about robbing Peter to pay Paul”, it said and called on the FG to fish out the strongmen behind the scandal.
