By ESENVOSA IZAH

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) says it plans to target one million registered employers per annum in its Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS).

NSITF’s Managing Director Oluwaseun Faleye made this known at the opening of a two-day retreat for Senate and House Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity held on Thursday in Lagos.

Faleye said that the plan was part of efforts to expand Nigeria’s social safety net.

“It is our initiative to ensure that Nigerians understand the benefits that comes with being registered under the ECS; it is a mandated scheme.

“Most importantly, it is the support that it gives in places where there is injury, death, diseases or sickness arising from work-related activities.

“So, we think that if we go on those sort of initiatives where we are educating people about the benefits, then easily, they will see the advantage in registering and compliance with the law.

“Also, when you look at all of the registered entities across the country, including the state and local government with their work forces, if we are able to get them to understand the importance of this scheme, I am sure, one million will be far cry from what we want to achieve,” he said.

He said that NSITF’s collaborative engagement with the National Assembly was for members to assist in fashioning out legislative initiatives that could support its drive to expand Nigeria’s social safety net.

He said that In the area of compliance, the National Assembly could support in ensuring compliance level was up and running.

According to him, it will drive registration and compliance moving forward.

“The National Assembly, being our critical stakeholders, have a lot of role to play to support us as we drive this advocacy.

“Also, we look for support in terms of tools to really do the sort of work we want to do including digitalisation, advocacy; even in their area of influence, advocacy is important.

“Then, we want to look at the law and see where we require certain changes and outline to them the reason for that change, so that they can fast track it within their system.

“Of course, the Act in itself, given that we have operated it now for almost 12 or 13 years, we need certain tweaks here and there from the experiences that we have gathered from engaging with claims and participants.

“It is necessary to go back to the National Assembly and explain those things to them and let them facilitate those processes; we need their support when it comes to enforcement,” Faleye said.

In his remarks, Sen. Diket Plang, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity, commended the fund and its management for organising the retreat, saying “it is timely.

“I commend and appreciate with a totality, this retreat with the new people on-board, knowing their vision, discussing also extensively, about the Ministry Department and Agencies (MDAs).

“I believe that this will help us to be on the same page, pursue the same goal and we will succeed; and at the end of the day, NSITF will be better than what it is.

“This is the coming together of the three most important stakeholders in the operation and work of NSITF; we have the managing director and his management, the National Assembly and executive.

“When three of us have full understanding of the challenges and dreams, and we are all on the same page, this would lead to a progressive, more stabilised NSITF”.

The retreat was entitled “Building a Stronger NSITF”. (NAN)

•PHOTO: MD/CE NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, Chairman Senate Committee on Labour and Employment, Sen. Plang Diket, Sen. Victor Umeh, & Sen. Friday Benson at the ongoing retreat for the Senate and House Committees on Labour and Employment in Lagos.

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