As Nigerians celebrate the one year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) says it has met the Social Security aspect of the 8-Point Agenda, stating that it has dispensed social benefits to 20,531 Nigerians under different packages of its Claims and Compensation.

In a statement in Abuja at the end of 2nd edition of the Fund’s monthly online Management Performance Review (MPR), the Fund’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson, stated that the Agendum No 6 of the 8-Point Agenda of the Tinubu administration captures social security, and remarked that the NSITF has leveraged on the essentials of the Employees’ Compensation to positively touch thousands of lives in the world of work within the year in review.

The statement which was sent to Nationwide Reports stated that- “Being a leading Social Security Institution with over six decades in the sector confers on us, a huge role in the actualization of the Agendum No. 6 of the 8-Point Agenda of the President on the enhancement of human capital through social investments.

“While the NSITF reached out to 103, 000 injured workers with different categories of social security benefits in 12 years (2011 and 2023), the current management of the Fund widened the outreach with an extensive inroad, dispensing benefits to an unprecedented 20,531 persons under different baskets of claims and compensations in one year (March 2023- May 2024)

“ A close-up of this figure (20,531) is necessary at this instance to substantiate this fact as the micro portion of a long list below suffices,” it said and listed the various areas to include:

1. Disability Benefits:

a. Salami Olayinka of Ratcon Construction Company

b. Jubril Ismaila of RCC Nig. Ltd.

c. Umoru Bala of Reynold Construction Company

d. Abdul Rahman Siddik of Rim Foods Limited

e. Lamidi Oluwatobi Ismaila of Rite Foods Ltd

f. Abdullahi Jamilu Garba of Rock Bottom Limited

g. Godwin Lawrence of Rock View Hotels Festac

2. Loss of Productivity Payment

a. On behalf of Samuel Sunday of Vono Furniture Products Ltd

b. On behalf of Shedrack Ali of WoodStyles Limited

c. On behalf of Olusesi Olalekan of Workmen & Talents Agency Ltd

d. On behalf of Davison Aigbekaen of Xerox H.S Nigeria Ltd

e. On behalf of Itafor Emmanuel of Vision Job 24 7 Nig Ltd

f. On behalf of Ekeugo Obinna of Vik Industries Ltd

g. On behalf of Sylvester Markson of Veto Tech Company Limited

3. Death Benefits

a. Dependants of Osunbade David of British American Tobacco

b. Dependants of Bala Obadiah of 4u Supermarket Ltd

c. Dependants of Sindama Julius of A & P Foods Ltd.

d. Dependants of Maurison Ezesinachi Caleb of ABC Transport

e. Dependants of Augustine Akowe of Abuja Steel Mills Ltd

f. Dependants of Abubakar Dauda of Abuja Urban Mass Transport

g. Dependants of Nyerhovwo Tonukari of Academic Journals Limited

4. Medical Expenses Refund

a. Zakka Yusuf of A. G Ferrero and Company Limited

b. Wogu Ihechi Peace of Abia State College Of Health Science & Management Technology

c. Ugwuoke Chinedu Keneth of Abumet Nig Ltd

c. Momoh Victor O of Access Bank Plc

d. Ndifereke Monday Akpan of Ace Foot Wear Manufacturing Company Limited

e. Idris Abdulhamid of Adama Beverages

e. Giscard Stanley Norris of Adamawa Home And Savings Limited

g. Yisau Abayomi of Adayira Haulage Ltd

The statement stated further that- “Besides, our foray into the informal sector, a strategic area that houses over 80% of Nigerians is paying off as we have established close collaboration with various associations in the Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Because some of these associations are involved in the agricultural concerns, it connects directly to our aim of gingering food production, which again is at the heart of Agendum No 3 of the 8-Point Agenda.

According to the statement, apart from conducting a total of 5,592 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) exercises in the last one year to prevent or reduce workplace accidents, the management also turned its attention to the reform of the agency to streamline its operations while positioning it to seamlessly deliver its mandate.

“As part of the strategic restructuring , the management introduced a three-tier management performance review of monthly online MPR, half-year regional MPR, and the yearly Central MPR. The result of this dynamic peer review has filled in gaps , resulting in higher productivity . For the first time in the history of the Fund, the 2023 year target was overshot .”

“To expand the frontiers of the ECS and bring its numerous benefits to the doorstep of all workers, the current management created four new branch-in branch as well as service centres to take the ECS to the recess of Nigeria.

“The Fund’s Legal Department was also re-organized, imbued to tackle legal challenges, winning many cases against recalcitrant employers, recovering debts and remarkably reduced the amount hitherto spent on legal services.

“To make the issuance of the compliant certificate easier for employers, the management also divested 90% of the processes and handed them to the branches and regions who are mostly in direct interface with employers. The Fund also ensured close partnership with its largest contributor, NECA, to beat down under-cutting by employers who base contributions on basic, housing and transport instead of total emoluments.

“To rejuvenate the workforce, we reviewed the Staff Conditions of Service which has been in use for nearly 30 years and introduced a new integrated salary structure, approved by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, promptly paying the N35,000 minimum wage award.

“We moved a step further to reform the health management plan to ensure increased and quality medical care for staff and cleared the backlog of gratuity.

The statement further stated that the management emplaced a corruption-free computer-based promotion examinations and promoted a total of 1671 staff in 2023 while also transiting the staff performance evaluation from APER to a more pragmatic Performance Management System.

Earlier in her welcome address at the MPR, the Managing Director of the NSITF, Maureen Allagoa who was represented by the Executive Director, Finance, Adegoke Adedeji described the event as one of the pivots of the management’s roadmap to reform of the agency and announced a newly formed MPR Standing Committee to ensure the programme holds timely and promptly.

She said, “ this administration values feedback which the MPR generates and does not take them for granted. It is, therefore, my expectation that this 2nd edition will also avail management of your input on how best to improve performances fund-wise.”