Employees Compensation Scheme: NSITF enrolment hits over 7.6m

…As Nigeria Police Force joins

From Bimbola Oyesola

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has announced the enrolment of more than 7.6 million Nigerian workers into the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), marking one of the most significant expansions of social protection coverage in the country’s history.

In what the Fund described as a landmark achievement, the NSITF also confirmed the enrolment of the Nigeria Police Force into the Employees’ Compensation Scheme for the first time since the establishment of the scheme under the Employees’ Compensation Act of 2010.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2026 International Civil Service Conference held in Abuja, where he outlined the agency’s reform agenda and achievements since assuming office in July 2024.

Faleye said the inclusion of the Nigeria Police Force was a major breakthrough in the effort to deepen workers’ protection and strengthen confidence among security personnel operating in dangerous conditions across the country.

“We have enrolled over 7.6 million employees into the Scheme. We secured the enrolment of the Nigeria Police Force into the ECS — a historic first — after engagements with the Inspector-General of Police,” Faleye said.

He added that the move would boost morale within the police force and provide assurance to officers risking their lives daily in the line of duty. “When our officers know that their families will be protected should they sustain injury or lose their lives in the line of duty, their confidence and gallantry will increase, and our national security will be the safer for us all,” he stated.

Speaking on the conference theme, “Reforms, Resilience and Results,” the NSITF boss said public institutions across the world were under growing pressure to deliver efficient services, rebuild public trust and respond rapidly to technological and economic changes.

According to him, Nigeria can no longer delay reforms if it hopes to achieve sustainable governance and national development. He said the NSITF had deliberately chosen to become a model for institutional transformation within the public sector.

“For us in Nigeria, the conversation around reform is no longer optional — it is urgent. The future of governance and national development depends on the ability of our institutions to evolve, innovate, and respond effectively to the needs of our citizens,” he said.

Faleye noted that upon taking office, he inherited an institution facing major operational challenges, including low compliance levels, slow claims processing, weak public awareness and fragile stakeholder confidence in the compensation system.

Rather than dwell on the difficulties, he said the management embarked on “deliberate, bold and measurable reforms” aimed at repositioning the Fund as a transparent, responsive and worker-focused institution.

Part of the reform measures, he disclosed, included a partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to strengthen anti-corruption mechanisms within the agency. He said the NSITF also empowered its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit by appointing 120 liaison officers across offices nationwide.

On digital transformation, the NSITF Managing Director said the Fund was moving away from paper-based processes to integrated digital systems designed to speed up claims processing and improve transparency. He explained that automated workflows and real-time tracking systems were already being introduced to reduce delays experienced by beneficiaries.

Faleye further revealed that the Fund had intensified nationwide campaigns to expand compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, including direct engagements with state governments. According to him, the NSITF signed a landmark agreement with the Lagos State Government in April 2026 to implement the scheme fully for state workers.

He added that the agency was also advocating the integration of ECS compliance certificates into public procurement processes, a move that would require companies bidding for government contracts to demonstrate that their employees are protected under the scheme.

Highlighting the impact of the reforms, Faleye explained that the NSITF processed 22,350 compensation claims in 2024 alone and recorded a 21 per cent increase in claims payouts. He cited several major compensation interventions, including N90 million paid to a Seplat worker, N76 million to the dependants of a Nigerian Breweries employee, N31 million in medical support for a Nestlé worker and N42.5 million to the family of a deceased Depthwize employee.

“These are not just numbers — these are families who received justice, dignity and support in their most difficult moments,” he said.

The NSITF boss also stressed the importance of workplace safety and worker welfare in driving economic productivity and institutional resilience. He noted that the Fund partnered with the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) under the 2025 Safe Workplace Intervention Project to audit more than 200 workplaces across the country.

He said the Federal Government’s directive making the Employees’ Compensation Scheme mandatory for all federal public workers represented a decisive step towards strengthening social protection and ensuring that no public servant was left vulnerable in times of workplace injury, disability or death.

Faleye concluded by warning that the changing nature of work driven by digitalisation, artificial intelligence and evolving labour systems required governments to become more proactive in building safety nets for workers. He maintained that institutions must anticipate future risks while ensuring workers remain protected and empowered in a rapidly changing economy.