Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Olejeme: An Example Of A Selfless Leader

As Nigerians we must be cautious of what we say of our leaders, especially now that we are in a transition mood. I have followed the diatribe against Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Olejeme, Chairman of NSITF on some social media platforms and feel greatly disturbed. This is totally unacceptable and uncharitable to say the least.

This is because here is a woman that has successfully turned around an estwhile moribund Nigeria Social Security Trust Fund, as Executive Chairman, in a period of five years. She has given life back to a dead organisation that is today providing employment to hundreds of Nigerians and paying injury claims promptly to workers under the Employees Compensation Scheme, ECS, of the Fund. This is the same woman that is being vilified on some social media platforms.

These stories although clearly a hatchet job is in bad faith and oozes of witch hunt. Dr Ngozi Olejeme has been leading NSITF like none before her. Her many achievements speak for themselves. Worthy of note is the fact that she took over the Fund at a perilous time when its future looked consigned to the death chambers. At this time, the agency had less than about 200 staff on its parole.

The morale of these few staff was at an all - time low. Salaries were not been paid, in fact nothing was happening at the Fund. Like an amazon she fought from all fronts to reposition the agency in the mind of government, stakeholders and the people. She was the person that led the pressure on government to sign into law the Employees Compensation Act, ECA, 2010 that gave life back to the Fund.

Getting the law passed by the National Assembly and getting President Jonathan to sign it into law were no mean feats. To people who understand the workings of government, these are lifetime achievements that cannot be glossed over by this kind of evil propelled campaign of calumny. Dr Olejeme again moved to win the confidence of stakeholders to buy-in to the Employees Compensation Scheme, ECS, set up to activate the ECA.

The implementation of this Scheme, the first of its kind in the country, has ensured that workers in the country receive compensation for injuries sustained at the workplace or in the course of going to work. Claims are being promptly paid. Unlike other workers schemes, the ECS does not require the worker to prove his or her case. Only recently Dr Olejeme again successfully got government to approve a social security package that now covers all categories of Nigerians, akin to what is operational in the developed world.

The law providing this cover has been passed by the National Assembly, it is only waiting for the signature of the President. All these achievements were initiated and executed successfully under her leadership. This is the same woman that some wicked and evil minded people are trying to destroy. May God frustrate this wicked effort to destroy a very successful Chairman.