By Ahmed Ahmed
Group under the auspices of North East Youth Assembly has made a shocking discovery of monumental alleged salary fraud at the Ajaokuta Steel Company, a federal government-owned facility.
According to the assembly’s national president,Mr Hamisu Mohammad Dass, the latest finding is just one of many alleged corrupt practices plaguing the company.
In a statement made available to journalists,weekend Dass alleged that a preliminary investigation carried out by the assembly showed a high level of corruption within the company’s staff recruitment process.
He said the investigation uncovered discrepancies in staff salaries, with employees receiving significantly lower amounts than stated in their appointment letters.
The assembly cited two cases of staff members who were recruited as “Graduate Manpower” but received monthly salaries of N18,000 instead of the stipulated N100,000 and GL 8/4 basis salary, respectively. This translates to a deficit of N82,000 and N72,000, respectively, per month.
Dass expressed outrage over the findings, questioning why a third party, Hamdan International Limited, was involved in the employment and salary payment of staff working in Ajaokuta Steel Company.
He demanded to know who was behind the fraud and called for an immediate probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
The assembly urged the anti-graft agencies to demand appointment letters of staff members and compare them with their monthly earnings as shown in their respective bank statements.
Dass emphasized that the youth population was most affected by issues of employment and that the assembly would not stand by and watch anyone jeopardize their interests.
The North East Youth Assembly also demanded absolute disclosure of the partnership agreement between the company and consortia, warning against shady agreements like the Mambilla Hydropower project, which was trapped by mischievous consortium partners.
They insisted that Nigerians deserve to know what is being signed and that the agreement should be between the Federal Government and the consortium, without middlemen.
The assembly remains committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and will continue to fight against corruption and protect the interests of the youth population.