From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
Senators and members of the House of Representatives have resolved to engage state governors and local government chairmen to ensure full participation and compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS).
The lawmakers’ position was part of the resolutions reached at a two-day strategic retreat for the Senate and House Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity, organised by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) from August 4 to 5 in Lagos.
In a communiqué signed by the Senate Committee Chairman, Senator Diket Satso Plang; his House counterpart, Hon. Adegboyega Adefarati; NSITF Board Chairman, Hon. Olushola Olofin; and NSITF Managing Director, Barr. Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye, the legislators also pledged to ensure ECS contributions are adequately captured in the annual budgets of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
They assured that the NSITF would continue to receive support from both the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to strengthen its operational capacity and achieve the scheme’s objectives.
The communiqué stated that the NSITF would intensify efforts to expand ECS coverage through aggressive sensitisation, strategic partnerships and innovative approaches to bring more employers and workers under its umbrella. It also resolved to align the Fund’s governance with International Social Security Association guidelines to boost transparency, accountability and performance.
Health, Safety and Environment officers of the Fund are to receive specialised training on digital reporting systems and compliance monitoring tools to enhance workplace safety oversight and encourage accident prevention.
The retreat commended the NSITF for its “doggedness,” noting a rise in registered employers and a doubling of claims processed over the past year — a sign of improved efficiency but also of more workplace incidents.
It, however, observed that many state and local governments are yet to embrace the scheme, creating a “substantial coverage gap” that must be addressed. Other issues identified include poor budgetary provision for ECS contributions by MDAs, the overdue actuarial valuation of the Fund, and the need for full digitalisation of operations.
The communiqué stressed that every ECS claim “represents a story of pain and loss” for workers and their families, and urged prioritisation of preventive strategies, workplace safety programmes and proactive risk management to safeguard lives.
