Employees’ Compensation Scheme: NSITF Joins Head of Service On Sensitization Drive

By Chinedu Echianu

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is commencing a service-wide sensitization of civil servants in furtherance of the implementation of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS) in the Federal civil service.

Managing Director of NSITF, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye stated this on Thursday May 29, when he led his team to the office of the Federal Head of Service, to kickstart the sensitization campaign.

The Head of the Federal Civil Service Mrs. Esther Walson-Jack, pledged her unflinching support to the NSITF to ensure that all workers in the public sector benefit from the Scheme. She committed to working with the NSITF as it embarks on the sensitization campaign across the service.

On his part, Faleye lauded the welfare-centered initiatives of the Head of Service and stated that the privileged opportunity to serve in the Head of Service Committee for the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2025 (FCSSIP2025), reinforced his commitment to ensure the implementation of the ECS in the Federal civil service.

He pointed out that while other committee members were talking about housing, health and related issues, NSITF stayed on its core mandate, focusing on surmounting barriers to the service-wide implementation of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme in the Federal civil service in particular with the desired outcome being to enhance the social protection available to Federal civil servants.

Faleye said: “We felt that what was key for us as we shared ideas and discussed initiatives during the strategy sessions we had under the auspices of the FCSSIP2025 was how to sustainably implement and deepen initiatives that were already available but not implemented and ensure that those welfare initiatives are implemented for the benefit of workers in terms of their welfare and social security. And in that regard, what was key for us was to then ensure that our core mandates are reflected and highlighted as we discussed the initiatives at the FCSSIP2025 and we made the commitment to do everything within our sphere of influence to ensure that those initiatives become a reality.”

He said the NSITF will continue to do all it can to ensure that the barriers that were identified militating against the implementation and operationality of the Employees Compensation Scheme in the Federal civil service are surmounted and dealt with and particularly appreciated President Bola Tinubu for directing the payment of all Federal Government obligations due under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.

The NSITF MD said “the Employee Compensation Scheme is a Scheme enabled by law, that mandates us to pay claims and compensation to all Nigerian workers for injuries, disabilities, death or diseases that arises in the course of work. So, mainly it is a work-related social insurance, and we are at the forefront of implementing this. When we look at the size of the Federal civil service, there’s no better place to impact the welfare of workers than within the core ecosystem of the Federal civil service. That is why it was important that we ensure that the Scheme is operational at the Federal level and all the associated MDAs related to it”.

“We have made some progress, basically in terms of the payment of the obligations related to the financial aspect of it. We continue to engage with the Ministries of Budget and Finance to ensure that there are prompt payments of Federal Government liabilities so that we can then provide these very vital services to civil servants in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to always be there for the civil servants that are serving Nigerians.

“Some of the payments have been made, some are still in due, and we will continue to focus on that. But we feel that we now need to undertake a comprehensive stakeholders’ engagement, particularly with the members of staff that will be beneficiaries of this very important welfare Scheme. We understand that given the uniqueness of what is on offer it’s now important for us to undertake a very sustained sensitization campaign to educate workers on the benefits of the Scheme and the process of making claims under the Scheme”

“That’s really why we are here, to kick-start that process, to basically discuss with the Staff Welfare Office under the Office of the Head of Service as to the modalities for the proposed stakeholders’ engagement and we are very hopeful that we will get your guidance and support regarding this.”

In her response, the Head of the Federal Civil Service, Mrs. Walson-Jack said: “The MD has outlined a very robust vision, which as he did say, I bought into the very first time we met. The Employees’ Compensation Scheme as captured in the Employees’ Compensation Act is one Scheme that has been waiting for a robust push to ensure that it is mainstreamed into our welfare package service-wide”.

“I recollect that as a Permanent Secretary in the Staff Welfare Office in 2017, we began to talk about the Scheme, which had not yet come on board and I want to say that I am delighted today that we have gotten to this milestone, wherein we are now ready to sensitize civil servants on this very important welfare Scheme as we begin its implementation and I want to thank especially the Managing Director of the NSITF and his team for all the efforts you have put into getting us here”.

“I want to assure you that this office through the Service Welfare Office will give you all the support, all the encouragement, and will work with you to ensure that this Scheme comes on board this year 2025, and that it comes to stay”

“I want to use the opportunity to thank our very worker-friendly President, His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, GCFR for bringing us this far. This is another feather in the bag of welfare initiatives that this administration has come to be known for. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the Federal Executive Council approved the Group Life Assurance Scheme, and today we are here to discuss the implementation of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.

“We want to say that this office also takes the welfare of civil servants very, very seriously, and that is why we have also come up with several initiatives for the welfare of civil servants. The administration started with the new minimum wage and the consequential adjustments to salaries arising from the new minimum wage. And then it added the wage award, which unfortunately ran into arrears, but I’m happy to say that as of yesterday, the arrears have begun to be paid.”