By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Senators and members of the House of Representatives have resolved to actively engage state governors and local government chairmen to ensure full participation and compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, ECS, across all tiers of government.

This was one of the key resolutions of a two-day strategic retreat for the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity, organised by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, from August 4 to 5, 2025, in Lagos.

According to a communique jointly signed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity, Senator Diket Satso Plang; his House of Representatives counterpart, Adegboyega Adefarati; NSITF Board Chairman, Olushola Olofin; and NSITF Managing Director/Chief Executive, Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye, the lawmakers committed to pushing for full compliance with the scheme at all government levels.

“The Senators and members of the National Assembly shall actively engage their respective state governors and local government chairmen to ensure full participation and compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), thereby expanding the scheme’s coverage across all tiers of government,” the communique said

It also noted: “The Senators and members shall collaborate closely with colleagues in the Appropriation Committees to guarantee that provisions for ECS contributions are adequately captured and funded in the annual budgets of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).”

The communique further disclosed that the NSITF would henceforth prioritise accident prevention in workplaces rather than focusing solely on compensation.

“The Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) officers of the NSITF shall receive focused training on digital reporting systems and compliance monitoring tools. This initiative will enhance workplace safety oversight, improve data-driven decision-making, and encourage a proactive approach to accident prevention,” it read.

The lawmakers also pledged unwavering support for the NSITF from both the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to help it discharge its mandate effectively, strengthen operational capacity, and achieve the objectives of the ECS.

Urges wider overage, digitalisation

On expanding the ECS, the communique urged the NSITF to intensify efforts through aggressive sensitisation campaigns, strategic partnerships, and innovative approaches to bring more employers and workers under the scheme’s umbrella.

“The Board and Management of NSITF shall align the Fund’s governance and operational frameworks with International Social Security Association (ISSA) guidelines on good governance, ensuring increased transparency, accountability and sustained high performance across all areas of its operations,” it added.

The retreat also called for a stakeholders’ meeting on the pending bill to amend existing NSITF and ECS laws before the public hearing, describing it as necessary to strengthen social security and enhance labour productivity nationwide.

Participants commended the NSITF management for what they described as remarkable progress. According to them, there has been “a notable increase in the number of employers registered under the ECS over the past year, reflecting growing awareness and compliance with the scheme’s provisions.”

It was also observed that: “The number of claims processed and paid out within the reporting period has doubled compared to previous years, indicating improved efficiency in claims administration, but also highlighting an increase in workplace incidents that require attention.”

Despite these achievements, the communique noted that state and local governments had yet to fully embrace the ECS, creating a substantial coverage gap that must be addressed urgently.

The retreat resolved to prioritise strategic reforms to Nigeria’s social security systems, expand coverage to grassroots communities, improve benefits, and ensure the long-term sustainability of social insurance programmes.

It also emphasised the need for full-scale digitalisation of NSITF operations to drive efficiency and transparency and called for urgent actuarial valuation of the ECS Fund to determine its financial health and sustainability.

The communique concluded with a human touch, noting: “Every claim paid under the ECS represents a story of pain and loss suffered by a worker and their family. This underscores the urgent need to prioritise preventive strategies, workplace safety programmes and proactive risk management to minimise accidents and safeguard lives. Prevention of accidents must, therefore, be a priority for the ECS.”