NSITF compensated 103,000 workers in 13 years, says chief

• Agency charts new course for effectiveness at retreat

By Oyebola Owolabi

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has compensated over 103,000 persons, including 111 persons who got prosthetics limbs, in the last 13 years.

Over 164,000 employers and 8.4 million employees were also registered, while the agency conducted 25,000 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) activities.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, stated this yesterday at the opening of a two-day retreat organised by the agency for the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity, held in Lagos. The retreat was themed ‘Building a Stronger NSITF’.

According to Faleye, the retreat was to establish synergy between the agency and the lawmakers, towards finding solutions to some of the agency’s challenges.

He noted that the retreat was also to ‘serve as a platform for sensitisation, open dialogue, strategic planning, and collaborative problem-solving aimed at revitalising and optimising this essential fund’.

Faleye said there is a need for the government to ‘rethink and strengthen the agency’.

He added: “We will ensure long-term financial sustainability and effectiveness of NSITF by enhancing risk management practices, and improving service delivery to meet the evolving needs of beneficiaries, while maintaining transparency and accountability.

“The agency is making moves to get the Federal Government’s approval to include the NYSC in the scheme.”

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment Labour and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, said the retreat was timely as it would help the Executive, Legislators and MDAs understand how to tackle issues surrounding compensation of injured and deceased workers.

“This retreat is very timely and I believe NSITF will be better for it in the end. Where the legislators, the executives and the MDAs have understanding of what to do, it will lead to a more successful NSITF,” he said

A member of the Committee, Senator Victor Umeh, urged the agency to invest the fund realised from one per cent workers contribution in building affordable housing for workers ‘to reduce the housing deficit among the workforce’.

The lawmakers also praised Faleye for ensuring that injured workers get compensation promptly.

However, member of the House of Representatives, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, lamented the deduction of 40 per cent from the agency’ fund, saying it was affecting its operations.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Oluwaseyi Faseyi, also noted that the condition of work in many companies are hazardous for workers, and so demanded that more private companies be brought into the scheme for the benefit of their workers.

Other issues raised included inability of the agency to access government’s contribution regularly, non-digitisation of its processes, as well as inability of compliance officers to register MDAs.

The lawmakers however promised that the challenges will be  debated on the floor of the House.