News
Picketing of NIMC: Management Debunks ASCSN’s Allegations
On Tuesday May 12, 2015, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, made good its threat, widely published in the newspapers recently, to picket the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) over claims that Management planned to ‘sack over 1,000 staff’ who are members of the ASCSN, which NIMC management on Thursday debunked.
They further alleged impunity on the side of Management, claimed that the NIMC under the leadership of Chris ‘E Onyemenam, the director general, whom the Union wanted sacked by the Government, had not delivered on the mandate of the NIMC, in particular, the issuance of national eID Cards.
They further alleged financial misconduct, corruption and unfair labour practices.
During the picketing action, the ASCSN prevented staff members of the NIMC who are members of the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transportation and Corporations, SSACTAC, from entering the office in Lagos, Minna and our Head Office here in Abuja. Picketing does not mean locking out staff members by another Union whose members have a criminal case to answer.
But a statement sent to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek by the management of NIMC read: “These allegations and claims are false and an unfortunate misrepresentation of facts. They are malicious and calculated to discredit the Board, Top Management and the person of the DG over the handling of disciplinary cases of staff members found to have falsified their service records. The current actions and utterances of the representatives of ASCSN, which signed an agreement with the Management of NIMC in 2012 over this issue is unfortunate and suspicious.
“It is not true that Management plans to declare redundancy or undertake any retrenchment. Rather, Management had administratively dealt with cases of falsification of service records by some senior members of staff.
“Due process was followed, including the proper convening and seating of a Disciplinary Committee with all Observer Status Offices duly represented, obeying all Court Orders regarding the administrative process since July 2014, responding to requests for explanations and clarifications, etc. from supervisory and other appropriate authorities of Government.
“Management has not behaved with impunity nor did it disobey any Court Orders. All due processes were followed and appropriate approvals obtained as necessary by NIMC Management in the discharge of its duties.
“Management has ensured that all Annual Accounts of the NIMC are audited and approved by the Board before submission to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation as required by law. It is also published on our website as part of an annual report on the NIMC for each year. The 2014 Accounts that has just been approved by the Board will be published shortly.
“Management can confirm that the National Identity Management System (NIMS) has been in operation since February 23, 2012 with about 404 Enrolment Centres nationwide. The NIMS went live on a Pilot basis in 2012 and NIMC is currently focusing on a large scal deployment through various ways including harmonization and integration of other ongoing data gathering activties across MDAs and in the private sector”.
The statement also clarified that the NIMS infrastructure was first certified as ISO 27001:2005 compliant in 2014 and was recertified as ISO 27001:2013 compliant in April 2015.
The Card Personalization Infrastructure was audited and certified under the Global Vendors Certification Programme (GVCP) in 2014 and has just been audited for recertification a week ago.
“It is unfortunate that on a day the National eID Card is being internationally recognized as the ‘Best African Payment Initiative in 2014, it is being disparaged at home. The National eID Card is currently being distributed across the Federation from our State Offices. It is regrettable that some members of staff with questionable service records who have been slowing down the pace of the implementation of the NIMS are now bent on disrupting the smooth arrangement put in place for citizens to enrol and subsequently come to collect their eID Cards at their convenience and upon notification.
“Furthermore, it is not true that NIMC has planned to sack or retrench 1,000 workers. However 406 senior members of staff who falsified their service records and thus have been profiting from that fraud, have been formally reported to the appropriate offices for further action”.
According to the NIMC management, the issues at stake are as follows: falsification of Service Records to wit; fake appointment letters; fake promotion letters; fake conversion/advancement letters;
Did NIMC provide opportunity for fair hearing to the parties involved?
The statement read, “Yes we did, to wit- verification of staff service records; issuance of query to affected staff; analyses of response to query and verification of documents attached to response; invitation to attend a duly constituted Disciplinary Committee Meeting; obtaining necessary approvals for the recommendations of the Committee; implementation of the approvals – proper placement for those exculpated and issuance of dismissal letters for those found culpable in line with the Public Service Rules”.
They added that “Formal Report to appropriate authorities in respect of the criminal acts, for further action.
“Accordingly the action embarked upon by the ASCSN is an attempt to take attention away from the facts and issues as stated above.
“In respect of other allegations, we wish to state that NO staff member who is qualified and applied was denied the right to go on annual leave. It is also not true that female staff are discouraged from getting pregnant, it is in fact unthinkable. We have always followed due process in all our recruitment exercise.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Management has remained focused on implementing the NIMS, in particular, the Federal Executive Council approval in September 2011,” the statement read in part.
The Nigerian Insurers Association has urged the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions to respect the constitutional separation of powers as it carries out a probe on over 20 insurance firms.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIA, Mrs Bola Odukale, said the decision of NIA and the affected firms to approach the court was to seek clarity on the constitutional limits of the House Committee’s probe.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives on Monday is investigating no fewer than 25 insurance companies operating in the country for various financial infractions spanning financial reporting, claims settlement, premium remittance, and issuance of policies.
The Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, Kwamoti Laori, during a meeting with the management of the insurance companies at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, said the meeting was convened following the receipt of a petition on infractions by the insurance companies.
In the statement, Odukale said, “The Association wishes to state unequivocally that all actions taken by the NIA and the affected member companies in response to the Committee’s invitations and pronouncements were based entirely on legal advice by its Solicitors. It was on the firm instruction of legal counsel that recourse was made to the courts.
“The objective of approaching the Court is to seek judicial guidance on the legality, propriety, and constitutional limits of the Committee’s intervention in order to safeguard institutional integrity, uphold regulatory independence, and ensure that legislative oversight remains within the bounds of law.
“The Court action seeks to determine whether the current posture of the Committee reflects an exercise of legislative judgment, which, by constitutional design, is the exclusive province of statutory regulators, such as the National Insurance Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Exchange, Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.
“This raises serious questions about legislative overreach and an erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”
Odukale maintained that the NIA was committed to lawful and constructive engagement with all arms of government, provided that such engagement respects the autonomy of statutory regulators and the boundaries established by the Constitution.
“The NIA will continue to provide its full support to all member companies while upholding the principles of legal compliance and sector-wide integrity,” Odukale concluded.
17 of the companies that went to court were represented by their lawyer, Mr Abimbola Kayode, at the meeting with the committee.
Finance ministers and development partners from the Horn of Africa have called for enhanced digital integration to boost trade, drive economic growth and promote regional stability during the 25th Ministerial Meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI).
Held in Nairobi, on July 14, the meeting was co-chaired by the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo and Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Egeh. Discussions underscored the critical role of digital integration in reducing trade barriers, boosting government service delivery and creating employment — particularly for the region’s youth.
“Digital technologies are shaping today’s economy and tomorrow’s industries. By embedding these technologies into our programs, we can not only improve inclusion but also leapfrog outdated development models,” said Nwabufo.
She called for digital integration a “central enabler” in each of the Horn of Africa Initiative’s pillars – trade, infrastructure, resilience, and human capital,
Learning through experience
Drawing from global and regional success stories, speakers highlighted the transformative potential of technology-led development. The ministers pointed to the Philippines as a strong example, where ICT has generated millions of jobs in business process outsourcing. Similarly, Kenya’s fintech innovation—especially the success of M-PESA—was cited as a model for scaling digital financial services across the region.
Participants urged governments to proactively foster digital ecosystems by capitalizing on the demographic dividend, identifying infrastructure upgrades, tighter regulatory reforms, and digital skills trainings as priorities to enable broader participation in the digital economy.
Minister Egeh reiterated the need for more coordinated regional efforts to create the enabling environment required for accelerated digital integration and expansion. He referenced the HoAI Digital Policy Matrix, adopted in 2023 which provides a blueprint on how to address key obstacles to achieving effective digital integration across the region.
Barack Makokha, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, underscored the importance of regionally-aligned public private partnerships and advocated for blended financing to reduce investment risk and expand digital access in underserved areas.
World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ndiame Diop, called for a comprehensive multi-pronged approach, combining cross-border coordination, large-scale financing, robust policy support, and digital infrastructure investments. He pointed out that such measures could transform digital integration into, “a powerful engine of economic transformation” for the Horn of Africa—ensuring no one is left behind in the digital era.
The meeting concluded with a shared recognition that sustained political will and the determination to implement a multifaceted approach are essential to unlocking the region’s economic potential and driving long-term growth.
The event also welcomed observers from the East African Community, Agence française de développement, and Shelter Afrique, reflecting strong regional and international backing for the HoAI in the development community.
Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure provider, has launched its Custodian Portal, a user-centric digital solution designed to optimise custodian operations through intuitive, secure and efficient features.
Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CSCS, announced this in a statement on Monday.
The CSCS is a Public Limited Company with a diversified shareholder base, which serves as the Central Securities Depository for the Nigerian Capital Market.
It serves as the Central Depository for Equities, Commercial Papers, Corporate Bonds, Sub-National Bonds, certain Sovereign Bonds like the FGN Sukuk and the FGN Savings Bond, Equity-traded Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Mutual funds and Commodities.
Jalo-Waziri said that the custodian portal offered a streamlined experience for market participants with powerful tools that facilitate comprehensive portfolio and trade management, document tracking, share transfer operations, client symbol search, and real-time access to vital data.
He explained that the portal, designed to operate through a flexible subscription-based model, empowered users to manage their records effortlessly and securely through convenient payment channels such as GTPay and Paystack.
According to him, “Digital transformation remains at the core of our strategy to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of Nigeria’s capital market services.
“The custodian portal is a significant leap in that direction, offering custodians a centralised platform to manage critical processes in real-time.
“We are excited about the value this innovation brings to our stakeholders, and we will continue to evolve the platform in line with users’ needs and industry trends.”
The CEO also explained that the portal was designed with user experience in mind with feature tools like portfolio viewing and downloads in PDF or Excel format.
He further said that it also featured tracking of stock movements across date ranges, inbox messaging and request tracking, as well as robust user management capabilities including role assignment and status tracking.
Similarly, the Divisional Head, Business Technology and Digital Innovation, CSCS Plc, Tobe Nnadozie, said that the portal aligned with CSCS’s drive to automate the market.
“In addition to the normal features, the platform is a part of an omnichannel platform for custodians, and includes API services.
“It also connects to the market-wide workflow, which CSCS has built to ensure secured communication and approvals across all major stakeholders in the market.
“The platform is well secured with best-of-breed cybersecurity solutions and our SOC,” he said.
The Custodian Portal reinforces CSCS’s commitment to leveraging technology to streamline back-office functions and support a more agile, data-driven capital market ecosystem.
All custodians in the Nigerian capital market have now been successfully on-boarded on the Custodian Portal, marking a significant milestone in CSCS’s ongoing drive to enhance collaboration, standardise operational processes, and promote digital adoption across the market.
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