NSITF seeks expansion of social protection mandate

THE acting managing director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ismail Agaka, has said   that NSITF Act is presently going through the legislative process of amendment at the National Assembly to give clout to execute other aspects of social protection programmes. He said the trust fund has, in this regard, begun aggressive training […]

THE acting managing director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ismail Agaka, has said   that NSITF Act is presently going through the legislative process of amendment at the National Assembly to give clout to execute other aspects of social protection programmes.
He said the trust fund has, in this regard, begun aggressive training of its staff in readiness for the expansion of its mandate.
Agaka disclosed this in Abuja at the orientation programme organised for the fund’s staff held at the Civil Service Training Centre.
He said the NSITF was  presently implementing only compensation for workplace injury out of the nine branches of social security as spelt out by the ILO Convention 102 of minimum standard of social security.
He said: “The amended law will enable NSITF do more than the employees’ compensation scheme it is currently running. The other areas of social protection include: old age pension, survivor, family benefit, unemployment benefit and invalidity benefit, medical benefit, sick benefit and workplace injury benefit that we are implementing. For us to execute other aspects the law establishing the scheme has to  be amended and that is on-going at the National Assembly.”
While stressing the importance of the scheme to the welfare and wellbeing of workers, Agaka explained that no worker is left to cater for himself or herself is case of sustaining workplace related injury or death.