… calls for nationwide compliance with ECA
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has concluded plans to disburse N172.5 million as compensation to victims of workplace accidents under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, even as it urged public and private sector stakeholders to fully comply with the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA).
Speaking at the maiden International Civil Service Conference in Abuja, NSITF Managing Director, Oluwaseun Faleye, revealed that the Fund recently paid N43.7 million in compensation to two workplace accident victims: one from the National Assembly and the other from the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria.
“To mention a few, early this year, we paid the sum of N25 million to an employee of the National Assembly who suffered a work-related injury,” Faleye disclosed. “Just last week, the NSITF presented a cheque of N18.6 million as death benefit to the family of a deceased employee of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria.”
According to him, more payments are lined up, including N31.1 million to a Nestle Nigeria staff, N4.9 million to an employee of Polaris Bank, and N15.4 million to a Medplus worker. He further announced disbursements of N86 million to a Mobil Producing Nigeria employee, N15.6 million to a Zenith Bank staff, N7.8 million to a worker at Alexander Marius Investment Limited, and N11.7 million to an employee of Unity Bank Plc.
Despite these strides, the NSITF boss lamented the poor implementation of the scheme at the state and local government levels. “Can you imagine how many of our colleagues in the public sector could have benefited from this Scheme if it had been robustly institutionalized?” he asked. “This support, in the form of financial compensation, helps employees and their families cope with the financial and emotional strain of unforeseen and unfortunate events.”
He also emphasised NSITF’s dual mandate of compensation and rehabilitation. “Another part of our mandate is to assist employees to return to work after any work-related injury or illness,” Faleye said. “This promotes a more productive and resilient workforce.”
Highlighting the fund’s proactive occupational safety initiatives, Faleye stressed that prevention remains a major priority. “We undertake workplace health and safety audits and awareness with the aim of reducing workplace injuries, occupational diseases and deaths,” he noted. “This is what resilience looks like—the knowledge that if you give your all to serve, the system is available to support you whenever challenges occur.”
At the 4th Nigeria Employers Summit hosted by NECA, Faleye renewed his call for strict adherence to the ECA, stating that workers’ welfare must remain at the heart of any enterprise.
“While I understand the numerous challenges employers face, we must also understand that in order to create sustainability, we must pay attention to the welfare and safety of the critical stakeholders within that value chain: the workers,” he said. “It is by adhering to laws such as the Employees’ Compensation Act that this can be achieved.”
Faleye praised NECA’s leadership for its partnership with NSITF in championing workers’ welfare, pledging continued stakeholder engagement to improve compliance across the board.
“Let us activate the social safety net that is required to build a resilient civil service,” he urged, “so that all staff members can give their very best for the transformation of our society.”
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