NSITF: Ngige Calls Hon. Faleke Small Mushin Boy; Equates Self With Tinubu; Dares NASS on 774,000 Recruitment |The Source

By Akinwale Kasali

It was basically a show of shame at the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee sitting when  the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige and Hon James Faleke, dragged themselves into the gutter.

Ngige was answering questions over an alleged breach of Presidential directives on the mismanagement of funds by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF.

Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, member of the House of Representatives, representing Ikeja Federal Constituency engaged Ngige in a heated argument which led to a mild drama. The two men engaged each other in a series of verbal jabs.

Ngige, told Faleke he was on the same level with his mentor, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

He noted that aside from being age mates with the former Lagos governor, he also had the same political achievements with him.

“Faleke, they said is up to 60. You are near my age, but I am at least seven years older than you. I’m sure. I am of the same age with your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. I was governor with him at the same time. He was a Senator , and I was a Senator . I am a two-time minister and he has not been a minister,” he said.

The Lawmaker, in an apparent reference to the controversies that trailed Ngige’s election as governor of Anambra State, retorted that Tinubu won his own election “very well”.

But Ngige fired back: “No problem about that. Just like you won your own in Kogi State very well, and you are now both the Governor and Deputy Governor.

“You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this Mushin boy, talking to a Victoria Island boy.”

Ngige is alleged to have suspended top management and executive committee members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), although the presidential directive bars ministers from sacking heads of agencies.

The minister had asked Faleke to recuse himself from the hearing, since he had already passed judgement on him (Ngige) through his statements on the floor of the House, when the motion for the investigation was raised on July 7, 2020.

Faleke accused Ngige of hijacking the NSITF’s budget and removing the board to cover his tracks.

The minister then reminded Faleke, who was a former deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Kogi State, how his struggle to replace his running mate and governorship candidate, Late Abubakar Audu, was frustrated after the later died shortly after they both won the election.

“Mr Minister, please respond,” Faleke fired back.

“I am responding. You yab me, I will yab you 10 times. I am a Lagos boy. You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this boy. Mushin boy is talking to a VI boy. I live in Victoria Island,” Ngige said.

In another development, Ngige has called the bluff of the NASS, telling members that the Minister for State, Labour  and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, will oversee the recruitment.

NASS and Keyamo had a showdown over the recruitment. NASS asked Keyamo to handover the exercise to the NDE. They later suspended it. But President Muhammadu Buhari has backed Keyamo.