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…Pays over N6bn in 12 years
By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
In a bid to match global standard in social safety net as orchestrated by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) says it has introduced the E-NSITF.
General manager, Corporate Affairs, Ijeoma Okoronkwo, at a forum with the Labour Writers Association (LAWAN) recently in Lagos, said the organisation has completed the first phase geared at modernizing the operation of the E-NSITF.
“The completion of the first phase of the E-NSITF project aims to enhance customer experience, reduce bureaucracy and streamline processes,” she said.
According to Okoronkwo, employers now have the capability to monitor claims processing, generate compliance certificates, and benefit from increased transparency and efficiency.
She stated that NSITF has disbursed over N6 billion in compensation for 99,678 claims from workers who suffered injuries, occupational diseases, disability or death arising from work-related incidents over a span of 12 years.
In the first half of 2023 alone, the general manager said NSITF paid a total of 8,959 claims under various contingencies, including medical expenses refund, loss of productivity, death benefits, disability benefits, retirement benefits, and further medical treatment.
She further highlighted the substantial impact of the NSITF safety net on nation-building through the implementation of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS).
She said, “From July 2011 to June 2023, we have processed and paid 99,678 claims and compensations. As you may know, our compensations are not restricted to cash only, we have provided prostheses as part of our rehabilitative compensation program to over 100 employees which has enabled them to continue to live their normal lives again.” The NSITF manager explained that the Fund had extended its services to people living in ungoverned spaces, noting that through Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, NSITF “had provided vocational skill trainings to Nigerians.”
She noted that the fund has also extended its focus to the informal sector, initiating sensitization programs aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme and ensuring the inclusiveness of all sectors of the economy.
She commended the support of the Nigerian government in delivering social security to citizens.
“The President Muhammadu Buhari administration approved a 1 percent deduction from source for all treasury-funded ministries, departments and agencies, a testament to the government’s commitment to ensuring citizens’ welfare,” she said.
She stated that the NSITF has been working assiduously to cover more employers and organizations both in the private and public sectors to add to the over seven million employees already in the net of the ECS.
Okoronkwo equally said NSITF was set to amend its laws to mete stronger penalty to erring employers who fail to contribute for their employees.
Giving a broader view of the ECS and its extent of coverage in cases of death, she explained that if an employee dies in the process of working, the NSITF is empowered to pay monthly, 90 percent of the employee’s last salary to take care of the deceased family until the last child attains the age of 21.
According to her, “such an employee must be registered under the scheme and his/her employer must be up to date in his remittances.”
