The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vulnerable groups, especially persons living with disabilities, through occupational safety and health initiatives.
The Managing Director of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, stated this in Abuja during a panel session at the recently concluded International Civil Service week on the theme, “Inclusive Public Services for Women, Youths, Persons with Disabilities and Vulnerable Groups.”
Represented by the Abuja Regional Manager, Bridget Ashang, Faleye said the Fund, through its Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), ensures that vulnerable groups are not left behind.
He explained that the ECS is a social protection and social security scheme for employees.
“If there is any incident that leads to injury, disability or disease in the course of work, the Fund takes care of the employee and dependants until the last child is 21 years old or graduates from a tertiary institution.
“For NSITF, our core mandate is compensation for employees if there is any incident in the course of work.
“However, we realise that prevention is better than compensation, and that is why we are leading when it comes to Occupational Safety and Health.”
The organisation also conducts workplace audits to ensure all necessary safety measures are in place.
According to Faleye, “We always believe prevention is better than cure because, in the course of running the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, we have seen that disabilities sometimes arise from workplace incidents.
“So, one of the things we ensure and promote is safe, healthy and inclusive workplaces. We go around and conduct what we call Occupational Safety audits in workplaces.
“Another thing we emphasise is accessibility and other protective measures that ensure inclusivity for persons living with disabilities, women, youths and other vulnerable groups.”
He lamented that the law does not provide for sanctions but does require employers to ensure that workers are adequately protected.
“Our law actually says: go out there and make sure employees are properly taken care of while they are working. And if there is an incident, we step in.”
Speaking about groups he considers vulnerable but often overlooked, Faleye said they include workers who leave home early every day and spend long hours performing their duties.
“Those who wake up very early in the morning, get ready regardless of the weather, commute to work, stay at work and carry out all sorts of tasks.
“A lot of the time when we talk about social security and social protection, we focus on infant mortality, immunisation, vaccinations, maternal care and support for pregnant women.
“Then we talk about schoolchildren, free meals and free education. After that, we move straight to pensions.
“Almost all the time, the conversation jumps from childhood all the way to retirement.
“What about the working population? They are among the most vulnerable groups. They commute to work every day, spend hours at work and face various risks. Those are the people NSITF is concerned about.”
Other panellists included Kachallom Daju, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; Hansatu Adegbite; Olubunmi Olusanya, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs; Beatrice Agba, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice and Solicitor-General of the Federation; Dr Jake Epelle; and Kristin Envig.
