Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Oluwaseun Faleye has vowed to implement stricter enforcement measures to address non-compliance among states and employers.
Speaking at a media parley with the Labour Correspondents Association of Nigeria and the launch of a comprehensive enlightenment and enrollment campaign on Wednesday, Faleye emphasized efforts to drive compliance among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). He noted that the federal government has shown increasing interest in ensuring that employees are covered under the NSITF scheme.
“The MDAs are working closely with us. I received a letter from the Head of Service yesterday reaffirming our commitment to this scheme and urging relevant parties to cooperate with us. At the federal level, there is a growing interest from leadership to engage with the fund and bring employees under the scheme, especially after we’ve communicated the benefits to them. The next step is to operationalize this commitment,” he said.
Faleye also urged employees to avoid colluding with employers to underreport earnings, warning that doing so could affect their compensation in case of workplace accidents.
He further revealed that NSITF’s Compliance and Health, Safety, and Environment teams are set to meet with the Head of Service to ensure smooth operations. However, he acknowledged ongoing challenges with some MDAs due to budget constraints, which the agency is addressing through advocacy and awareness efforts.
While noting successes at the federal level, Faleye highlighted the significant non-compliance among state and local governments, which is impacting overall subscription numbers.
On enforcement, he confirmed that NSITF is taking legal action against non-compliant organizations and pushing for stronger enforcement powers from the National Assembly.
