NSITF to expand social security net in 2024

In line with the social inclusion standards of the ILO Convention 102, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has unveiled plans to expand social services to the doorstep of all Nigerians.

Managing Director of the NSITF, Maureen Allagoa, who disclosed that new branches and service centres would be created in 2024, assured Nigerian workers of better days in the new year.

A statement made available to newsmen by the Fund’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson, on Monday, in Abuja, explained that the NSITF is set to consolidate on its 2023 achievements while expanding the percentage of the population protected by social security scheme.

She said: “We are expanding our operations into the informal sector and other unreached areas in dire need of our services so as to save more people from lacerating social conditions.

“We will create new branches to this end as well as build service delivery centers to be activated in select regions as pilot in the first quarter of 2024. The focus is to reach Nigerians in the remote hinterland while reducing commuting distance for our staff members.”

Allagoa further stated that with the delivery of social security benefits under different compensation packages to over 103,000 beneficiaries in the past years, the NSITF under her management, has certainly placed its duck in a row for the New Year.

“We are poised to cover more areas of succour and reliefs to the victims of workplace accidents or their dependents in line with our mandate. But it is important to point out that this number,  103,000 beneficiaries, does not include 11 injured workers, whose conditions were so severe they couldn’t be treated in Nigeria and had to be flown abroad and over 100 workers who had to be provided with artificial limbs.

“It does not also include the 670 dependent beneficiaries and 852 disability beneficiaries currently on our monthly payroll, besides a number of deceased dependents under our care, pending the graduation of their last child from higher institution or attains 21 years of age.

“These are visible achievements which form the base of our plans for the New Year,  of course, encouraged  by the wider operation coverage  as well as challenges occasioned  by the directive of the  Secretary to the Government of the Federation, following FEC approval, that all the MDAs comply with the mandatory  employees’ compensation contributions.”

Fully aware of the central place occupational safety and health of the ILO Convention C155 occupies in the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, the NSITF boss noted that at the heart of the NSITF’s  plan of action for 2024 is the increase in workplace accident prevention, with an expected 1,344 inspections and trainings.  According to her,  this is to reduce risk at work, promote a healthy workforce and enhance national productivity.

“Our plan is to conduct one thousand three hundred and forty-four(1,344) workplace inspections and accident prevention trainings, at an average of two exercises in a month  from our 56 branches.” she said.

On poverty reduction and the mandate of the NSITF, Allagoa  revealed that the NSITF would tap areas of the  ILO Convention 102 on old age benefits, unemployment and family benefits, saying that timelines have been set for the expansion of the agency’s corporate social responsibility programmes on skills acquisition and empowerment.

According to her, the fund is optimistic of championing the poverty reduction mantra of the President Bola Tinubu eight point agenda.

Commending the staff of the NSITF for resilience and the extra mile in contributing to the successes  of the current management, Allagoa promised a better deal.

“We have commenced the payment of N35,000 wage award and will not relent. We have reviewed the Staff Conditions of Service and implemented new consolidated salary structure, equally mindful of the inbuilt, phased benefits to staff. We have upgraded our healthcare plan and scheduled robust capacity training programmes for every staff member in 2024.

“Our strategic communication reforms have opened up avenues and platforms for thorough ventilation of every staff matter in line with the social dialogue principle of the ILO. The Performance Management System beginning January 2024 will be utilized to identify and reward outstanding individual staff, branches, and regions in the key areas of contribution collection, ethical conduct and teamwork, among others.

The Managing Director who recounted various challenges facimg the fund, however  insisted that the NSITF stands at the threshold  of social and economic change, even as she added that concerted effort was needed to actualize the compulsory implementation of the ECS in all the MDAs as directed by Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).