By Eberechi Obinagwam
Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has extended its Employees Compensation Scheme to the informal sector with the aim of ensuring that all members of the informal economy are covered under the provisions of the scheme.
Employee’s Compensation Scheme (ECS) was enacted by the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2010 with the objective of providing for an open and fair system of guaranteed and adequate compensation for all employees, and their dependants for any death, injury, disease or disability arising out of or in the course of employment and provide rehabilitation to employees with work-related disabilities as provided in the Act.
It was initially open for all employers and employees in the public and private sectors in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but, in other to ensure the inclusiveness of all sectors of the economy, NSITF extended its service to the informal sector with the kicking off sensitisation programmes targeted at creating awareness and educating individuals in the informal sector about the benefits of the scheme.
READ ALSO
Pat Utomi opens up on his battle with cancer
General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Ijeoma Oji-Okoronkwo at a media meeting with the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, disclosed that the organisation also extended their service to people living in ungoverned spaces, through their Corporate Social Responsibility Programme (CRS) by providing vocational skill training to Nigerians.
Mrs Okoronkwo at the meeting said the organisation have remained diligent in their responsibility which is the processing and payment of compensation to injured employees.
According to her, from July 2011 to June 2023, the organisation processed and paid 99,678 claims and compensations. “In the year 2023 alone, from January to June, we have paid 8,959 claims under various contingencies, including medical expenses fund, loss of productivity, death benefits, disability benefits, retirement benefits and further medical treatment,” she said.
She also noted that their compensation is not restricted to cash only, “we have provided prostheses as part of our rehabilitative compensation program to over 100 employees which has enabled them to continue to live their normal lives again,” she said.
The general manager told newsmen that in the case of death, the organisation pays 90% per cent of what the breadwinner was earning before he died just for the family to maintain at least the close lifestyle they were living before the incident.
This payment she said, is paid until the last child of the deceased is up to 21 years.
Mrs Okoronkwo however urged employees to encourage their employers to be part of the scheme so that they can be covered because the employees are the ones that bear the risk.
NSITF said they collaborate with the Ministry of Labour and NECA to inspect, and enlighten factory workers on the need to be part of it and prevent death.
She said President Buhari-led administration graciously approved a 1% deduction from source from all Ministries, Departments and Agencies that are treasury funded. So with a 1% deduction from employers, an employee is covered under this scheme.
Okoronkwo commended the government’s support and disclosed that the team is still working out the modalities for the deduction.
Explaining how the scheme works, Abdul-Lateef Musa, General and Regional Manager, Lagos Zonal Office, NSITF disclosed, “In every case of an injury or disabling occupational disease to an employee in a workplace within the scope of this Act, the employee or in case of death of a dependant, shall within 14 days of the occurrence or receipt of the information of the occurrence, inform the employer by giving information of the disease or injury to the manager, supervisor, first- aid attendant, agent in charge of the work where the injury occurred or other appropriate representatives of the employer, and information which includes, the name of the employee, the time and place of the occurrence and in ordinary language, the nature and cause of the disease or injury if known.”
 has extended its Employees Compensation Scheme to the informal sector with the aim){kind=link}