T he Senate Committee on Public Accounts yesterday uncovered how officials of Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund spent N38bn on salaries for five years without approval by the federal government. The committee, relying on a 2018 report by the Auditor-General for the Federation, said the NSITF implemented a salary structure not approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission between 2012 and 2017. The audit report was submitted to the committee which is probing expenditures of federal government agencies. The audit query reads: “Audit observed that the Fund had been implementing a salary structure that is not approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission. As a result, irregular payment of N 38,219,919,530.32 by way of personnel cost was made to the staff of the Fund from 2012 to 2017.