By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The Managing Director/CEO of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, has warned that employers who evade full compliance with the Employee Compensation Scheme, ECS, are putting Nigerian workers at serious risk. 

He raised the concern while addressing the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Lagos.

Faleye noted that lapses in compliance undermine the country’s social security architecture and jeopardise the safety net designed to protect employees in cases of work-related injuries, disabilities or death. He called on the NLC leadership to intensify efforts in holding employers accountable, especially within the private and informal sectors.

According to him : 

“We must continue to hold employers responsible for compliance with the Employee Compensation Scheme. This scheme is central to building a resilient workforce—one in which every worker knows that if anything happens in the course of duty, there is a system that guarantees compensation and support.”

He lamented that some employers deliberately under-declare employees’ wages to reduce their statutory remittances, a practice he described as harmful and exploitative. 

“A critical issue that requires vigilance is the under-declaration of workers’ wages by some employers. This practice ultimately short-changes workers, as compensation is calculated based on the declared amount,” he stated.

Faleye commended the NLC for its unwavering advocacy for workers’ welfare, praising the leadership for its “steadfast commitment” and “personal sacrifices” toward protecting workers’ rights. 

He described the collaboration between the NSITF and the labour movement as vital to improving occupational safety and strengthening Nigeria’s social protection system.

Highlighting NSITF’s mandate, the Managing Director stressed that the agency is committed not only to providing compensation but also to promoting preventive measures through its Health and Safety Initiative. 

“Prevention is better than cure,” he emphasized, noting that the Fund continues to encourage employers across public and private sectors to maintain safe work environments.

Faleye also announced that the NSITF is undergoing reforms aimed at improving transparency and operational efficiency. 

“We will institutionalise transparency and drive innovations—including digitisation—to ensure that claims and processes become more efficient and user-friendly,” he pledged.