Labour

SERVICOM week: Lalong tasks NSITF staff on best practice

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2 years ago

Staff and management team of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) have been charged to maintain efficiency and best practice in the discharge of their duties, in order to actualise the Employee Compensation Scheme in Nigeria.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, said this in his remark at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Customer Service Week at NSITF headquarters in Abuja.

The minister also assured the management and staff of the support and cooperation of the ministry towards ensuring that the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of President Bola Tinubu and his vision for Nigerian workers is actualised in the agency.

He charged them on hard work, while also tasking them to shun all distractions that pull the organisation down.

Lalong urged the agency to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Customer Service Week to review its services to Nigerian workers with a view to serving them better.

He assured that under him, the agency would be “unbundled” for efficiency and make its operations fair to all staff members, while promising that no staff will be witch-hunted in the exercise.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Administration, NSITF, Professor Gabriel Okenwa, when he led the fund’s focal officers on a road show to mark the event, commended the minister for being responsive to the needs of the staff.

Professor Okenwa assured the minister that the fund had already keyed into the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the Federal Government, ranging from transparency, efficient deployment of resources to streamlining the operations of the fund in line with global best practices.

He said, “Our new mantra is ‘the NSITF can.’ If there are missteps in the past, present management and staff are already forging ahead, ever determined to ensure that we deliver fully on our onerous obligation to the world of work.

“The services we offer are ones that are dear to the heart of every Nigerian worker – safety at workplaces and prevention of accidents, paying of compensation for injury in the course of work, rehabilitation and assisting injured enrollees be on their feet again while helping bereaved families live beyond pains in case of death of dear ones in the course of work.

“We can’t thank the minister and the Federal Government enough for insisting that the huge benefits of the Employee Compensation scheme should be availed to every worker in the public sector through a compulsory contribution of one percent of their emoluments by the MDAs. It is important to also state clearly that this one percent deduction is not to be made from the salaries of workers.”

Also in her remark, the Deputy General Manager and head of the fund’s SERVICOM Department, Gertrude Biosah. said the annual event is an opportunity to recognise and appreciate dedicated frontline representatives and foster a sense of teamwork among staff of the NSITF.

Biosah said, “Customer Service Week is an internationally recognised celebration that emphasises the importance of exceptional customer service. By participating in this event, we can enhance productivity, build resilience and boost employee morale. The event is an international celebration which affords organisation an opportunity to appreciate both the internal and external customers.”

A statement signed by NSITF General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson, noted that the road show was taken to various parts of Abuja City.

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