By Chinedu Echianu
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has embarked on a major digital transformation aimed at making its operations more efficient, accountable and responsive, its Managing Director, Oluwaseun Faleye, has said.
Faleye said the Fund had, in the last two years, moved decisively from predominantly manual and top-heavy operations towards an integrated, digital and more accountable institution.
He spoke on Monday, when the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kamil Shoretire, paid a familiarisation visit to the NSITF headquarters in Abuja.
According to the NSITF boss, when the current management assumed office in July 2024, it inherited an institution characterised by significant reliance on manual processes, a management structure heavily concentrated at the top, career stagnation, gaps in the deployment of human and material resources, and institutional processes requiring modernisation.
Faleye said the management responded by undertaking a comprehensive staff audit to provide an objective assessment of the Fund’s workforce structure and organisational needs, with recommendations being implemented in phases.
“One of the first things we did was to undertake a comprehensive staff audit and provide an objective assessment of our workforce structure and organisational needs,” he said.
He added that the Fund had commenced a digital transformation programme to replace predominantly manual processes with integrated and responsive systems.
According to him, the management also embarked on a Voluntary Exit Exercise to address structural imbalances and create a leaner organisation with clearer responsibilities and greater opportunities for career progression.
On infrastructure and working conditions, Faleye said the Operations Directorate had been relocated to the more modern Mukhtar El-Yakub Building, while branches across the country were undergoing renovation.
He said offices operating under branch-in-branch arrangements were also being provided with dedicated spaces, while furniture, ICT equipment, printers and transportation capacity were being deployed progressively. The MD added that the Fund was also sustaining capacity-building programmes for staff to improve service delivery.
Faleye said the reforms were beginning to translate into expanded coverage under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS).
He disclosed that the Fund had successfully onboarded treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and commenced payment of claims, with the first batch of five beneficiaries recently receiving compensation at an event witnessed by the Permanent Secretary.
Responding, the Permanent Secretary, Shoretire, commended the NSITF management for what he described as bold reforms and visible improvements in the Fund.
Shoretire pledged the ministry’s continued support for initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s social security system.
He urged the NSITF management to deepen collaboration with sister agencies to extend Employees’ Compensation Scheme coverage to the informal sector. The Permanent Secretary also called for greater emphasis on preventive workplace safety programmes, stressing the importance of preventing occupational accidents and injuries.
