The Nigerian Government is taking measures to ensure that all workers in the public service receives commensurate compensation for any workplace injuries or death.
The Head of the Federal Civil Service, Mrs. Esther Walson-Jack, made the promise in Abuja when she received the Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund NSITF, Mr Olawaseun Faleye and his Management team on a courtesy visit.
She pledged her support to the NSITF to ensure that all workers in the public sector benefit from the Employees Compensation Scheme managed by the NSITF.
She committed to working with the NSITF as it embarks on the sensitisation campaign across the service.
“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,” she said.
She assured the visitors that her office through the Service Welfare Office will give them all the support, all the encouragement, and will work with the organisation 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 Ahmed 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.”
The Managing Director of the NSITF, Mr Oluwaseun Faleye had told the Head of Service that the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund was commencing a service-wide sensitisation of civil servants in furtherance of the implementation of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme in the Federal civil service.
Mr. Faleye lauded the welfare-centered initiatives of the Head of Service and mentioned 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 the 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.
“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.
“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,” Faleye stated.
He said the NSITF would 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.
Payment of all
Faleye particularly appreciated President Bola Tinubu for directing the payment of all Federal Government obligations due under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.
According to him, “The Employees 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”.
He disclosed that some progress have been made 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 Ahmed 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 sensitisation campaign to educate workers on the benefits of the Scheme and the process of making claims under the Scheme,” he said.
The NSITF is an Agency of the Federal government of Nigeria, charged with the responsibility of providing “fair, guaranteed and adequate compensation to insured employees, in case of work related injury, disease, disability or death.”
He adds that it includes providing financial support, rehabilitation, and ensuring the enforcement of occupational safety and health standards.
