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Employee Compensation: NSITF to go tough on non-compliant agencies
By Bonaventure Melah
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, said it would soon embark on serious enforcement of the laws empowering it to get government agencies and private business owners enroll their workers on the Employee Compensation Scheme, ECS.
Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, the Managing Director of NSITF, stated this on Wednesday at Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja, during the official launch of the Fund’s Comprehensive Enlightenment and Enrolment Campaign which is aimed at getting more organisations, especially the private sector, to enroll in the Scheme.
Faleye said the new management of NSITF under his leadership is not happy that some employers, are reluctant to embrace ECS, which is aimed at ensuring that workers enjoy protection at work and compensation in case of accident.
He condemned some state governments and local government authorities that have not keyed into the ESC but praised Lagos state and others that have fully embraced the Scheme.
According to Barrister Faleye, his management has concluded arrangements to engage with the National Assembly in ensure that the laws establishing NSITF are strengthened to enable the agency have unhindered access to government offices and private business premises to for inspections and enforcement of laws, as according to him, Nigerian workers deserve better working condition and compensation from their employers than what they are getting currently.
He called on owners of media establishments to enroll in the ECS, in view of the risks journalists face in the course of their duties and solicited the support of the media in the Fund’s renewed determination to carry out massive enlightenment campaigns aimed at sensitizing both employers and employees on the need to embrace the Scheme, noting that the NSITF laws cover all agencies, with exception of the Armed Forces.
Faleye said he is committed to running open and transparent administration and called on journalists to put their eyes on all aspects of the Fund’s activities, by asking questions where necessary, in order to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We at NSITF recognize your role as the bride between our policies and the people. You are therefore critical stakeholders in our drive for advocacy, enlightenment and sensitization of government agencies, employers and workers,” Faleye told journalists at the events, adding that one of the reasons for the programme was, “To meet you so that we can put faces to the names we have been seeing on the reports on NSITF.”
Faleye said further that, “We have decided to engage resources in bringing awareness to the public, especially workers to understand their rights and obligations, in appreciation of the critical role of traditional and new media, reposition NSITF for effective leadership and impact.”
Earlier, while welcoming participants to the event, the Deputy General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Alexandra Mede, praised the new management of NSITF led by Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye for the reforms and innovations introduced within the short period of his stay so far.
She said that with the coming of Barrister Faleye, “NSITF has embarked on a transformative journey,” using digital platforms, adding that his management has already settled 103 while artisans, traders and others in the private sector, have been brought into the Scheme.
In a closing remark, Prof. Gabriel Okenwna, the Executive Director, Administration, praised Barrister Faleye for his leadership drive which he said has led to improved welfare of workers and better working relationship with organized labour at the Fund, adding that the new management came up with the idea of quarterly media parley, to demonstrate its openness; and to solicit the support of journalists in enlightening the public on the activities of NSITF.
The General Manager, Claims and Compensation, the General Manager, Legal and some other management staff of NSITF also attended the event.
News
Tinubu: My govt has created 650,000 jobs via National MSME clinics In 19 states and FCT
President Bola Tinubu on Monday disclosed that his government has created 650,000 jobs through its National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinics in 19 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Tinubu also vowed to remove all bottlenecks militating against Nigerians turning ideas and skills into successful businesses.
The President made this known via his verified X handle, @officialABAT and explained that a tailor should not need millions of naira to buy industrial machinery before she can grow her business while a food processor should not have to build a factory before producing at scale.
This, he stated, informed why the Federal Government, “under our Renewed Hope administration, is investing in shared MSME hubs through our National MSME Clinics, giving entrepreneurs access to modern equipment, reliable power and production facilities without carrying the full cost alone.”
According to Tinubu: “Today, 21 shared facilities across 19 states and the FCT are supporting businesses and an estimated 650,000 jobs. ReadPolitical News
“Nigerians do not lack ideas, skill or ambition. Too often, they lack access to the tools and infrastructure needed to turn them into successful businesses.
“Our job is to remove those barriers.
“When small businesses can produce more, at lower cost, they become more competitive. They grow. They employ more people. They create income and opportunity for Nigerian families.
“Giving Nigerian enterprise the tools to succeed is how we build prosperity from the ground up. That is the Nigeria we are building.”
News
Experts raise alarm on Shawarma, Cancer, Kidney Disease
Health professionals have warned that regular consumption of shawarma containing high amounts of salt, sugar, fat, seasoning and processed meat may contribute to hypertension, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease.
Excessive salt can raise blood pressure and put additional strain on the kidneys, while high-calorie sauces may contribute to weight gain.
Nutrition experts advised Nigerians to eat shawarma in moderation, use less mayonnaise and other sauces, choose lean grilled meat and add more vegetables. Consumers were also urged to check vendors’ cleanliness and avoid food prepared where ingredients are exposed to flies, dust or poor handling.
A recent report by experts also warned that frequent consumption of Shawarma may increase the risk of other food-borne infections and long-term health problems.
The report contains documented cases of people who suffered vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and weakness after eating shawarma, with some requiring hospital treatment.
According to the report, poor hygiene could allow bacteria and other contaminants into shawarma, causing illnesses including cholera, dysentery, typhoid and salmonellosis.
It also raised concerns about mayonnaise and creamy sauces kept without proper refrigeration and warned that poor storage could encourage bacterial growth and increase the risk of food poisoning.
A study cited in the report found bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat shawarma sold on the streets
Experts also raised concerns about processed meat such as sausage, noting that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as carcinogenic to humans.
News
Phone communication exposes married woman in the case of Abuja resident who died in a hotel
The mystery surrounding the death of a man whose body was found by the roadside in Abuja has taken a new turn, with police tracing the case through his missing mobile phone to a married woman who allegedly spent time with him at a hotel.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja, saying investigators arrested Rukayat Muhammed after tracing the deceased’s final communications.
The man was found dead on August 26 along the Kubwa Expressway, near Katampe under the bridge, after his family had earlier reported him missing.
According to the police, the case initially raised suspicion of a possible “one chance” incident. Investigators, however, established that the dead man was the missing person after identifying his remains.
Sanusi said the deceased’s mobile phone was missing and had been switched off. Police investigators subsequently traced his last known communication, leading them to Rukayat, a resident of Garki Area 2.
Investigators reportedly discovered that Rukayat, who is married, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with the deceased. The police said she had saved his contact under the name “Safiyat.”
The CP said the pair had lodged at Good Samaritan Guest House on 2nd Avenue, Gwarinpa, where the man later died.
Sanusi said Rukayat allegedly discovered that the man was no longer breathing but failed to alert the police or hotel management. Instead, she allegedly took his phone and left the hotel.
The case took another turn when hotel management later discovered the man’s body inside the room after attempts to contact the occupants failed.
Rather than reporting the discovery, two hotel staff members, Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus, allegedly removed the body from the room and transported it to the Kubwa Expressway, where they dumped it under the Katampe bridge.
The police said the action was apparently intended to distance the hotel and its management from the death.
Sanusi said detectives were still working to establish exactly how the man died and determine the individual roles of those connected to the incident.
He warned that anyone found to have participated in the death, concealment or abandonment of the body would face prosecution.
The commissioner said the investigation remains ongoing.
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