We’re committed to due process, staff welfare — NSITF

By: Chima Nwokoji | Lagos

The management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has dismissed the allegation of award of frivolous projects, insisting that all contracts by the fund were properly evaluated, awarded and executed in line with due process, passing through advisements and necessary approvals from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

The management also restated commitment to the implementation of a new salary structure that will be free of erroneous computations and critically reflective of the financial reality in the fund, with full participation of the two staff unions in the agency.    

A statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Mrs Ijeoma Oji-Okoronkwo, said it was unfortunate that the fund’s staff union was influenced and misguided into a needless disruption of the activities in the agency.

“We are committed to transparency in discharging our responsibilities. We have no option,” Oji-Okoronkwo said. 

Addressing the claims raised by the union, the fund stated that “the allegation of  frivolous and white elephant projects being awarded and implemented are unfounded, as every contract goes through a laid down process, including NEEDS assessment  before bidding.

“Every contract in the fund is first evaluated to determine its impacts and usefulness before bidding. Indeed, the current e-NSITF is in line with the Federal Government mandate on e-business and thus, received all the necessary endorsement up to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before its implementation.

“As a matter of fact, the e-NSITF has been on the drawing board since 2015 but it took the rejuvenated management and the parent ministry to take it head on in 2020 in line with the Federal Executive Council directive. Hence, it received all necessary endorsements from the Parastatal Tenders Board to the Ministerial Tenders Board and finally to the Federal Executive Council.  

“The e-NSITF will effortlessly ease business management processes as it is ultimately targeted at increasing efficiency in daily operational input and output. The contributors  can now easily get compliance certificates and have enhanced access entitlements, with an improved feedback for both the fund and its customers. Importantly, transparency will take the centre stage as the fulcrum of every operation. 

“Contributors will enjoy the comfort of paying online from their offices, thereby cutting off fake NSITF compliance certificates that were the order before now and equally eliminate nefarious staff members who go to employers and contributors to make deals by lowering their workers strength.”

On the demands of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), the fund said, “The new salary structure earlier approved was found to be riddled with errors and replete with vague details, hence, necessitating clarification that will require time for proper computation which is being handled by the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) that has promised to correct the anomalies and re-issue a 2023 wage structure that will still take effect from January 2023.”

“NSIWC and the management of the NSITF are re-scheduled to conclude its meeting next week before this riotous picketing, stopping management members from entering their offices. Unfortunately, ASSBIFI is aware that dialogue is on, yet, made a broadcast to its members to withdraw services against the ILO Principles at Work and the Trade Disputes Act, Cap T8, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, forbidding such action when dialogue is on.  

“It is to our chagrin that the same union, which is part of the review of the said salary structure already withdrawn by the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission(NSIWC), is the one calling out members for action on the same issue.”   

On the alleged non-promotion of staff as well as recruitment of new staff into the management cadre, the fund noted that “a total of 145 staff members were promoted to the management cadre while over 600 non-management staff were also promoted in the last two promotion exercises based on performance. In spite, where special skills set for a particular vacancy cannot be found within the fund, the NSITF had to source for such competence from outside the existing staff members to boost productivity in accordance with the law and public service rules.” 

The statement equally dismissed claims that management staff members have been enjoying unapproved salaries and allowances since 2013.

The statement also assured the union and staff members of the commitment of the fund to a continued social dialogue with the union members in line with the Trade Disputes Act and all relevant conventions of the ILO to adequately ventilate and amicably settle all disputes.