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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the digitization of the services of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), to be known as e-NSITF.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige disclosed this to State House Correspondents said the decision to digitize the NSITF was in line with the government’s policy on ease of doing business
He said: “The ministry presented two memos to the council today. The first memo was presented on behalf of our parastatal, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). As you’re aware, a lot has happened in the NSITF in terms of revenue losses and plunder of funds that have been given to that organization.
“The NSITF implements the Employee Compensation Act ECA 2010 and by that Act, Employers in both public and private sectors are supposed to pay one percent of the emoluments of their staff into a social fund in NSITF. And this one is to be used as a premium or insurance fund to cater for workers or staff members who have accidents, injuries, disabilities and even deaths that occur in the cause of their work.
“The pension Act makes reference to it that it must be done for workers in addition to group life. So, the monies that have gone in there have not been properly utilized, the payments have not been tracked.
“So, today we brought to council a memo for an e-NSITF by which their operations will now be digitalized. Both the payments that are put in from any of their stations, they have 56 branches and 11 regional offices. So in the comfort of your office, you can pay and register on that platform and that money is now tracked into a Central pool, form where claims are made and payments are also made for the insurance of those who are beneficiaries, you also track them.”
Ngige also said the new strategy will enhance the efficiency of NSITF as well as block leakages.
“This is one of the things the government has done in the spirit of digitalization of the economy and ease of doing business for everybody. So this will make for efficiency and help the organization to grow it leaps and bounds.
“Already, the organization is revitalized, following the present restructuring agreement for them. Today, NSITF can pay all their salaries, they can boast of even doing capital projects. And this digitization of funds operation is part of the capital project that they are doing and like I said earlier, the accountability that is there will make for non-leakages of funds.
“We also know that previously, there have been complaints of claims not being paid but e-NSITF will track claims and allow people to know who and who benefits from those claims. So this is one of the memos presented today. A consultant is going to handle it and the council approved that the digitalization should be completed in eight weeks,” the Minister explained.
The Council also approved the enactment of the Federal Produce Inspection Service Bill 2022, for onward transmission to the National Assembly for passage.
Ngige said the council also approved an upgrade of a portal called Nigerian Labour Exchange (NILEX), to be able to withstand requests by both employers and employees within and outside the country.
According to him, the portal is so small it can not take stress of the number of people wanting to go into it. That digital platform is supposed to be used by employers on one hand and job seekers on the other. The employers will load the vacancies they have, the type of skill they want, the qualifications of people that can fit in there. Then the job seekers, graduates and non-graduates will register, put in the qualification and skill and then the two groups are matched. The employer can speak with a job seeker, via that platform.
“Over the years we have not been able to expand it. But on a bilateral, multilateral agreement now the funds have been provided. So we are redesigning it, remodeling it, and then upgrading the infrastructure.
“Council approved that consultant should also handle that with a completion period of 12 weeks. With that we have passed the first stage of digitalizing that particular platform. And one of the good things about that platform now is that when it becomes operational, all those phony platforms that ask people to register for work, pay in N1000 or N20,000, will become a thing of the past because this will be a government platform. And when you go there, you know is a genuine platform.
“Apart that, people in diaspora can also upload their expertise and tell Nigerians, what they have that qualify them for special jobs and if they are employers in Nigeria that need them, again they’ll be handshake through that same portal.”
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo explained that, the proposed law is to repeal the Produce Enforcement of Standards Act 2004, which is currently in place.
Adebayo said when passed, the new law will enable the ministry to establish five laboratories across the geo-political zones of the country, for microbial analysis of agro products for local consumption and export.
He said: “The justification for the memo is primarily of the need to have an all-encompassing produce inspection regime in Nigeria that is capable of ensuring best practices in the export of produce from Nigeria.
“The proposed bill seeks to correct the shortcomings in the previous law. For instance, the organizational structure to which the law applies, which has increased to 72 from 16, the location covered by emergency orders for pest control use in the event of an outbreak.
“The old law covered only Lagos but now the new bill will cover the whole country. The new law also makes provision for establishment of laboratories in five geo-political zones in the country in addition to the one that presently exists in Lagos for microbial analysis of agro produce, for local consumption and for export. The whole essence of this new bill is to bring the practice of inspection of foodstuff to improve it to current global practices.
“The original law was enacted in 1950. But then it was renewed in 2004. We believe that it is time for it to be brought up to date and that is what we have done and the council approved it. Council directed that the Attorney General and Minister of justice transmit it to the National Assembly.”
Adebayo said the Council also approved the award of contract for consultancy services for the predevelopment of the Funtua integrated textile and garment Park, in Katsina state, and for the medical tourism park in Lekki Special Economic Zone in Lagos state.
The consultancy which is at the total sum of about N1.4 billion to Messrs Tata Consulting Engineers in partnership with Messrs Abigrants limited has 24 months completion period.
He said: “The textile and garment park in Funtua, Katsina state and the medical tourism Park in Lekki, Lagos the Special Economic Zones under the management of Nigerian Export Processing Zones authority.
“The idea is to provide first class infrastructural development to these special economic zones so that foreign companies and institutions, including local companies, and institutions as well, will come and set up medical institutions in the tourism park in Lekki and also for foreign companies to set up textile and garment parks in Funtua.
“The scope of work includes the consultancy services for the engineering and infrastructure design for Funtua, consultancy services for the master plan and architectural design for Funtua as well and consultancy service for master plan and architectural design of the medical tourism in Lekki. All the contracts have competition period of 24 months.”
