NSITF Committed to Protecting Vulnerable Workers, Says Faleye

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is dedicated to safeguarding vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on people living with disabilities, through robust occupational safety and health initiatives. Managing Director of the fund, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, reiterated this commitment at the International Civil Service Conference in Abuja.

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NSITF runs the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, a social protection, social security scheme for employees in the course of work. If there is any incident that leads to injury, disability, disease, or even death, we take care of dependents until the last child is 21 or a graduate of a tertiary institution.

Faleye explained that NSITF operates the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, a social security program designed to protect employees against incidents occurring during work. This scheme provides compensation for injuries, disabilities, diseases, or death, including support for dependents until children complete education or reach adulthood.

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However, we realize that prevention is better than compensation, and that’s why we are leading when it comes to Occupational Safety and Health. So, yes, we’ve got to carry out this audit to say, yes, this is what is wrong, this should be here, and then there’s something we call corrective actions. We guide you, we advise, and we accommodate.

While compensation is a core mandate, NSITF recognizes that prevention is paramount. The fund actively promotes Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) standards, conducting workplace audits and guiding organizations on corrective actions. This proactive approach aims to create safe, healthy, and inclusive environments, ensuring that workplaces accommodate individuals with disabilities and prevent injuries.

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What about the work group? The most vulnerable group in the world all the time, commutes to work, at work, or putting their shoes on and moving things up and down. And that is where NSITF comes in.

NSITF also extends its concern to broader societal well-being, encouraging initiatives like immunization and maternal care. However, Faleye specifically highlighted the often-overlooked vulnerability of the working population, who commute and perform various tasks daily. The fund's efforts in promoting safe and healthy workplaces directly address this group, aiming to prevent disabilities that can arise from work-related incidents and ensure greater inclusivity.

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So, one of the things we ensure first and foremost, and we promote, and we talk about, is safe, healthy, inclusive workplaces. We come around, and we do what we call an Occupational Safety Net in the workplace.