N2.1b unremitted tax deduction: CSO urges EFCC,ICPC to sanitise NSITF
The Civil Society Coalition Against Corruption has called for the clean-up of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
The coalition in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) called for the investigation of the non-remittance of N2.1 billion in workers’ tax deductions at NSITF.
According to the petition signed on behalf of the coalition by Ayodeji Ologun of the Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), the funds were deducted from workers’ salaries in 2022 but not remitted to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Briefing newsmen on Friday in Abuja, the coalition alleged that the funds were invested with a company not approved by the board, instead of being remitted to the FIRS.
But the NSITF dismissed the allegations, noting that all issues raised by the coalition had been substantially addressed.
In a statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Nwachukwu Godson, the NSITF said: “The bottom-line is that the allegations by TAG are a motley rehash of issues which have been properly addressed before now and some of which have been undergoing investigations by the ICPC and EFCC and so far, no wrong doing established on the part of the Managing Director or members of her EXCO.”
Ologun said: “As a leading anti-corruption group in Nigeria, We have keenly watched happenings in this agency over the last two years and have painstakingly identified and investigated some of these frauds, particularly those related to procurement and non-remittance of taxes.
“We call on both the EFCC and ICPC to ensure that these funds are not looted by people masquerading as lovers of the masses.
“We demand that these contractors be investigated thoroughly to ascertain whether they genuinely took contracts from the agency or are merely fronting for corrupt officials”.
