NSITF onboards treasury-funded MDAs, begins ECS claims payment — Faleye

•says Fund now digital, efficient, accountable after two years of reforms

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has onboarded treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) into the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS) and commenced payment of claims to beneficiaries, its Managing Director, Oluwaseun Faleye, has said.

Faleye disclosed this on Monday when the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Kamil Shoretire, led a delegation on a familiarisation visit to the NSITF headquarters in Abuja.

He said the first batch of five beneficiaries had already received compensation at an event recently witnessed by the Permanent Secretary, describing the development as one of the outcomes of the reforms undertaken by the Fund over the past two years.

The NSITF boss said the Fund was also at an advanced stage of engagement with the Lagos and Taraba State governments, while discussions with several other states were ongoing, as part of efforts to expand coverage under the ECS.

He added that partnerships with Federal MDAs and regional organisations were being strengthened to deepen coverage, particularly among workers in the informal and emerging economies.

Giving an account of the reforms since the current management assumed office in July 2024, Faleye said the Fund inherited significant reliance on manual processes, a management structure heavily concentrated at the top, career stagnation, gaps in the deployment of personnel and resources, and institutional processes requiring modernisation.

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Quoting the late Chinua Achebe, he said: “A man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where he dried his body,” noting that the management had to confront those realities honestly as the starting point for reform.

According to him, the management commenced a comprehensive staff audit to provide an objective assessment of the Fund’s workforce structure and organisational needs.

“One of the first things we did was to undertake a comprehensive staff audit and provide an objective assessment of our workforce structure and organisational needs,” he said.

Faleye said recommendations from the audit were being implemented in phases, alongside a digital transformation programme designed to move the Fund from predominantly manual processes to integrated and responsive systems.

He said the management also embarked on a Voluntary Exit Exercise to address structural imbalances, create a leaner and more functional organisation, clarify responsibilities and provide renewed opportunities for career progression.

The NSITF chief said improvements were also being made to the Fund’s operational environment and infrastructure.

He disclosed that the Operations Directorate had been relocated to the more modern Mukhtar El-Yakub Building, while branches across the country were undergoing renovation.

According to him, offices operating under branch-in-branch arrangements were being provided with dedicated spaces, while furniture, ICT equipment, printers and transportation capacity were being deployed progressively.

He added that sustained capacity building was also being undertaken to strengthen staff capacity and improve service delivery.

Faleye said the reforms had positioned the Fund to expand its coverage and improve its ability to deliver compensation to workers covered by the ECS.

“After two years, I believe it is fair to say that NSITF is no longer where it was when this Management assumed office. The digital transformation has begun. The organisational structure is being progressively reconfigured. The top-heavy management structure is being addressed,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged that the Fund remained a work in progress, with more work required to expand coverage to the informal workforce, strengthen compliance, improve data and digital integration and enhance claims administration.

Faleye described the Ministry of Labour and Employment as a strategic partner in strengthening Nigeria’s social protection architecture and called for closer collaboration to accelerate the reforms.

“Our commitment is to continue to leave no stone unturned in building an NSITF that is transformed, efficient, effective, accountable and transparent; an institution that workers can trust, employers can engage with confidently, and the Government can rely upon to deliver,” he said.

He also reiterated his commitment to leaving the Fund better than he met it.

“I have repeatedly assured the staff of NSITF that I will leave the Fund better than I met it. That remains my commitment,” Faleye declared.

In his response, Shoretire commended the NSITF management for what he described as bold reforms and visible improvements in the Fund, pledging the ministry’s continued support for efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s social security system.

The Permanent Secretary urged the Fund to deepen collaboration with sister agencies to bring more workers in the informal sector under the ECS.

He also called for greater emphasis on preventive workplace safety programmes, stressing that efforts to compensate workers affected by occupational injuries should be complemented by measures to prevent accidents and injuries in the first place.

Shoretire further called for cooperation between the management and the governing board of the NSITF to ensure the smooth running of the Fund’s operations.