The Civil Society Coalition Against Corruption has called for the clean-up of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
The coalition in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) called for the investigation of the non-remittance of N2.1 billion in workers’ tax deductions at NSITF.
According to the petition signed on behalf of the coalition by Ayodeji Ologun of the Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), the funds were deducted from workers’ salaries in 2022 but not remitted to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Briefing newsmen on Friday in Abuja, the coalition alleged that the funds were invested with a company not approved by the board, instead of being remitted to the FIRS.
But the NSITF dismissed the allegations, noting that all issues raised by the coalition had been substantially addressed.
In a statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Nwachukwu Godson, the NSITF said: “The bottom-line is that the allegations by TAG are a motley rehash of issues which have been properly addressed before now and some of which have been undergoing investigations by the ICPC and EFCC and so far, no wrong doing established on the part of the Managing Director or members of her EXCO.”
Ologun said: “As a leading anti-corruption group in Nigeria, We have keenly watched happenings in this agency over the last two years and have painstakingly identified and investigated some of these frauds, particularly those related to procurement and non-remittance of taxes.
“We call on both the EFCC and ICPC to ensure that these funds are not looted by people masquerading as lovers of the masses.
“We demand that these contractors be investigated thoroughly to ascertain whether they genuinely took contracts from the agency or are merely fronting for corrupt officials”.
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said it dispensed social security benefits to 20,531 Nigerians under different packages of its Claims and Compensation in one year.
The organisation said the benefits covered disability, death, loss of productivity, and medical expenses refund.
A statement by its General Manager for Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson, said: “Being a leading social security institution with over six decades in the sector confers on us a huge role in the actualisation of the Agendum Number Six of the Eight-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 to 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 to 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.
“Besides, our foray into the informal sector, a strategic area that houses over 80 per cent of Nigerians, is paying off as we have established close collaboration with various associations in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Because some of these associations are involved in 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.”
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) on Sunday, June 2, said it has dispensed social security benefits to 20,531 Nigerians under different packages of its Claims and Compensation in one year.
The organisation said the benefits covered disability; death; loss of productivity and medical expenses refund.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Nwachukwu Godson said this in a statement at the end of the 2nd edition of NSITF monthly online Management Performance Review (MPR).
According to the statement, the payment of social security to Nigerians represented an aspect of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration, saying the agency has fulfilled this campaign promise.
Godson said the NSITF has leveraged on the essentials of the employees’ compensation to positively touch thousands of lives in the world of work within one year.
The statement said: “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.
“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 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 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.
The statement added: “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 branches as well as service centres to take the ECS to the recess of Nigeria.
“The Fund’s Legal Department was also re-organised, 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 implemented a corruption-free computer-based promotion examinations and promoted 1671 staff in 2023 while also transiting the staff performance evaluation from Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) to a more pragmatic Performance Management System.
According to the statement, the Managing Director of 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 fundwide.”
The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has placed the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) on status enquiry from 2018 till date
This followed inconsistencies in the submissions by the agency to the committee in the ongoing probe to monitor revenue by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Federal Government.
The managing director of NSITF, Mrs Maureen Allagoa, appeared before the committee but delegated the responsibility to make their submission to the Director, Finance and Administration, Adedeji Adegoke.
The Committee queried the agency over discrepancies in the submissions and resolved to place it on status enquiry.
“In view of the various submissions available to us as a committee and the discrepancy noticeable in all of your submissions I hereby move that a status enquiry be set to comprehensively the true position of the workings of your agency.
“The status enquiry is from 2018 to date. This means a comprehensive analysis of all their records. Get ready we are coming and can request for any relevant documents anytime. We would not be giving you notice. Reconcile all your records,” Chairman of the Committee, Hon James Faleke ruled.
Also at the hearing the Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Victor Mururako, said they had no record of remittances by the NNPCL which is expected by law.
Represented by Mrs Victoria Adizou-Angakuru, he said, “Ours is just a plea as regards their remittance to the purse of the government, which is the CRF.
“The Commission has observed that NNPCL has not really been having a good rapport with FRC. They have been meeting other agencies like RMFAC and OAGF to resolve disputes regarding their operating surplus remittances but they have never come to FRC for reconciliation.
“Our table shows that from 2007 to 2018 we have computed the liabilities against NNPCL but we are not saying these liabilities are still existing but we don’t have any evidence as against any remittance they could have made.
“We want to plead that they should also meet with FRC the custodians of the Act which these other agencies are using to determine their liability.”
The Chief Financial Officer of the NNPCL, Umar Ajiya, said they had reconciled up to the point that they were no longer a corporation.
“As a corporation, we are obligated by law to remit operating surplus and we have evidence that we have remitted all that should be remitted,” he said.
The committee chairman, Hon Faleke, directed the NNPCL to reconcile its accounts and give feedback by next week Wednesday.
The agency noted that it has in pursuit of the Safety at Work Agenda, conducted 5,592 occupational safety and health activities at various workplaces across the country in the last one year.
The Managing Director of the NSITF, Maureen Allagoa said this in an address delivered during the 2024 World Day for Safety and Health at Work in Abuja.
Allagoa said the agency was fully committed to creating safe, healthy, and sustainable workplaces for all Nigerian workers.
She said: “The prevention of workplace accidents through robust occupational safety and health (OSH) programmes is the first step in the dynamic processes of the Employees’ Compensation. OSH is the primary charge in our responsibilities as the nation’s apex social security organisation. And we have pursued this life-saving process with all vigour since I assumed office about a year ago. The reason is that a well-managed NSITF anchors strongly on accident prevention rather than on rehabilitation, payment of claims, or compensations, which may be inversely proportional to the failure of occupational safety activities. Our target, therefore, is to intensify efforts and double the figure by this time next year.
“Broken down, this figure shows that between May 2023 to April 2024, our agency which is ever committed to the improvement of safety and health in the world of work, conducted a total of 3234 occupational health and safety audit, a total of 1614 awareness and enlightenment campaigns, and 744 follow-up on cases in various workplaces across the federation, using our 12 regional and 57 branch offices. We are geared to do more.”
On the theme of this year’s event, which centres on the impact of climate change on occupational safety and health, Allagoa said that while focus has been on the environmental and humanitarian impacts, it is crucial to recognise that climate change also posed significant challenges to occupational safety and health.
She said: “Climate change affects workplaces in various ways, including excessive heat, increased exposure to extreme weather events, Ultraviolet radiation, vector-borne diseases, agrochemicals, air pollution, as well as changes in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. “These environmental shifts jeopardize the physical well-being of workers and impact their mental health and overall productivity. Moreover, numerous health challenges are linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and mental health disorders.”
She therefore said the NSITF as the custodian of workplace safety and health has already adopted proactive measures to tackle these challenges head-on.
“This calls for a multidisciplinary approach that integrates environmental sustainability with occupational health and safety practices,” she added.
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said it will contribute towards the actualisation of President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point agenda on health, education, social investment, and agriculture.
The organisation said as a leading social security institution in Africa with over 60 years of experience in the social security sector, it has a huge role and responsibility in realising the key priority areas of the present administration.
The Managing Director of NSITF, Maureen Allagoa, pledged in Abuja at a workshop on the ‘Role of the fund in actualising the government’s eight priority areas.’
In a statement by the NSITF General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson Allagoa, the NSITF has already launched an initiative that would improve the lives of Nigerians through enhanced human and capital development.
The statement said: “The NSITF as the leading social security institution in Africa with over 60 years experience in the social security sector has a huge role and responsibility in the actualisation of these key priority areas, particularly the key priority area No. 6 that speaks to Social investments to improve the lives of Nigerians and enhance human and capital development.
“We have commenced a strategic drive into the informal sector of the economy with a view to providing social security services for the employees through our close collaboration with the Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) using their various associations and bodies.”
“This strategy extends even to associations and umbrella bodies of small and medium scale enterprises in the agricultural sector to improve productivity and boost food production which will invariably enhance food security.”
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said it would contribute towards the actualisation of President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point agenda on health, education, social investment, and agriculture.
The organisation said as a leading social security institution in Africa with over 60 years of experience in the social security sector, it has a huge role and responsibility in realising the key priority areas of the present administration.
The Managing Director of NSITF, Maureen Allagoa, pledged in Abuja at a workshop on the “Role of the Fund in actualising the government’s eight priority areas.”
In a statement by the NSITF General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson Allagoa said the NSITF has already launched an initiative that would improve the lives of Nigerians through enhanced human and capital development.
The statement said: “The NSITF as the leading social security institution in Africa with over 60 years experience in the social security sector has a huge role and responsibility in the actualisation of these key priority areas, particularly the key priority area No. 6 that speaks to Social investments to improve the lives of Nigerians and enhance human and capital development.
“We have commenced a strategic drive into the informal sector of the economy with a view to providing social security services for the employees through our close collaboration with Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) using their various associations and bodies.
“This strategy extends even to associations and umbrella bodies of small and medium scale enterprises in the agricultural sector with a view to improving productivity and boosting food production which will invariably enhance food security.
“This aligns with the key priority area, which speaks to boosting agriculture and achieving food security.”
Allagoa further said that the NSITF with 57 branches and 12 regional offices across the nation, and over 5,000 staff strength of diverse academic backgrounds.
According to her, the organisation has a strong institutional memory and database to provide leadership in data generation, storage, and sharing with relevant agencies towards success in the eight key priority areas of the Tinubu administration.”
Executive Director of Administration, NSITF, Prof. Gabriel Okenwa emphasized the crucial importance of policy coordination for the success of any organisation.
He said: “Policy coordination is vital for the success of any organisation. It ensures that our activities are aligned with the overarching vision, maximising our impact and effectiveness.”
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said that the payment of claims and compensations does not measure the successes of the organisation, saying the prevention of accidents was the first process in Employees’ Compensation.
Managing Director of the NSITF, Maureen Allagoa stated this during a visit by the Nigeria Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) at the headquarters of the agency in Abuja.
Allagoa, who was represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Investment, NSITF, Adegoke Adediji, said the successes of the agency cannot alone be measured by the amount paid as claims and compensations because effective occupational safety and health (OSH) programmes slow down workplace accidents.
In a statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nwachukwu Godson, she said: “The prevention of accidents through robust occupational safety and health (OSH) programmes is the first step in the processes of the Employees’ Compensation. The payment of claims and compensations is therefore inversely proportional to this.
“Measuring the progress of the NSITF by the number of claims and compensations paid is a very poor grasp of our mandate and operations. By ECA 2010, occupational safety and health is in inverse proportion to claims and compensations. When the occupational safety and health programmes(OSH) are top notch and producing results, the rate of workplace accidents that trigger claims and compensations declines. When OSH is not active, the reverse becomes the case.
“A well-managed NSITF primarily seeks the reduction of workplace accidents. This is the first step our management takes through a robust pursuit of occupational safety and health programmes. But if an accident occurs, we follow up with rehabilitation. Then payment of claims and compensations, where necessary.
“And the NSITF has been discharging all obligations on the payment of compensations to employees and their dependents for death, injury, disability arising out of or in the course of employment. We rehabilitate those who suffer workplace disabilities.
“In fact, we have a case in hand where we’ve paid close to 70 million at N1.3 million every month and another where the Fund pays about 1.5 million every month and will continue paying till the last child is 21 years of age.
But while we do this, we intensify accident prevention programmes, even collaborating with other agencies and relevant stakeholders to emplace occupational safety and health(OSH) standards in all workplaces enrolled with the Fund. This is the charge of our active OSH department in our 57 branches and 12 regions across the country.”
The Managing Director, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) Maureen Allagoa has said the agency is being re-modelled in line with the 8-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
She urged the management and staff of the agency to key in on the reform agenda of the administration.
Allagoa spoke at the maiden edition of NSITF’s Central Management Performance Review (CMPR) meeting in Abuja.
She said the event, which is the apex level of the review, was part of the roadmap for the strategic restructuring of the NSITF.
She said:“It is my expectation that the next two days will avail us the opportunity and the platform for target setting for 2024 as well as a comprehensive and comparative review of the 2023 target performances as branches and as regions, with a view to learning from our shortcomings and improving on our successes for a target-surpassing 2024.
“The Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS) is fortuitously in alignment with the poverty reduction and healthy national workforce agenda of the Tinubu administration. The cardinal place we occupy as the operators of the scheme in achieving this lofty national objective demands doubling down, meaning an extra mile for us to ensure we leave no gaps in fully fulfilling our mandate.
“I’m glad that we have left no stone unturned barely a year we came on board, as we broadened the bracket of beneficiaries of different categories of claims and compensations by the deserving registered injured workers while exploring other aspects of the ILO Convention 102 to widen the horizon of social inclusion to all Nigerians.”
Commending the staff of the agency for the unprecedented 98 per cent projected target achieved in 2023, Allagoa expressed confidence that the record would be surpassed in 2024, exhorting all staff to do more .
“Yes, I dare say target-surpassing 2024 because of the unprecedented achievement in 2023. Let me use this opportunity to congratulate you all on the achievement of ECS contributions in 2023, which is the highest annual collection figure in the history of the Fund.
“The reward for work well done is more work. That is why the management has set a higher ECS target for the year 2024. The reason behind this bold move is not to set you up to fail, but rather a reflection of the confidence we have in your ability to achieve the unprecedented.”
She expressed satisfaction with the results of the conclusions from the last regional management performance review as well as the monthly review held in October and December 2023 respectively, stating that the 32 strategic observations arising therefrom, provided a compass for a successful planning and navigation of the ECS.
She added: “The 32 observations raised at the regional management review were comprehensively deliberated on at several EXCO meetings and have indeed catalysed the management into an informed decision making, leading to new strategies to achieve our 2024 target and even surpassing it.”
The managing director also announced new operational policies and strategic action plans to include the adoption of the ECS compliance certificates as part of bidding requirements for contracts in the states of the federation, harmonised ECS central database in all branches and regions to forestall double registration, aggressive registration of new employers and segmentation of all coverage areas to ensure effective enforcement, intensification of the occupational safety and health awareness to reduce workplace accidents and ensuring that all staff participate in at least one training a year.
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund has urged the Nigeria’s Employers Consultative Association to help it enforce the one per cent deduction from the total remuneration as stipulated by the Employee Compensation Scheme.
The organisation said it noticed that some companies in the private sector were still remitting one per cent of Basic, Housing, Transport (BHT).
Managing Director of the NSITF, Maureen Allagoa said this when the Director General of NECA, Wale-smatt Oyerinde visited the headquarters of the NSITF in Abuja.
In a statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Godson Nwachukwu, Allagoa noted that the Organised Private Sector, which NECA represented, was responsible for over 80 per cent of the ECS contributions collected in 2023, saying that the figure was expected to rise in 2024.
She said the agency would continue to partner and consult NECA in all major decisions that affect the two organisations.
Allagoa stated that it was on the advice of NECA that it introduced a modified one- off registration fee of N20,00 for new registering employers and a recurring certificate processing fee of N30,000 for employers requesting for compliance certificate.
She added: “Also in line with NECA’s advice and to also justify the value for money, we have decentralised our compliance certificate processing by divesting over 90% of the process to the branches and regions, while the head office only produces the certificate for onward delivery to the employers.”
She explained that this was to drastically shorten the turnaround time for the issuance of certificates, stressing that the ongoing digitisation of the Fund via the e-NSITF will reduce the exercise to 48hours.
The NECA DG hailed the NSITF for the innovative measures it has taken to re-position the tripartite agency.
Oyerinde, who appreciated the critical role the NSITF plays in stabilising the world of work, pledged the continued support of the organised private sector to the NSITF as social partners despite the turns in the national economy.
He said: “We have noted the many innovations that you brought in during this one year, and from far within our space, we have also noticed how much stability you have brought to the NSITF.
“We have also noted the direction that the fund seems to have now, especially the openness to engage because I know your Executive Director, Operations has been in Lagos twice. To us, this openness to engage has endeared the fund to us the more. So, kudos to the fund and its leadership.”
