NSITF pays injured workers N835m compensation in two years

• Places 298 on monthly payment
Workers that sustained various types of injuries in the course of their work have received about N835 million from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) under its Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS). 

The Managing Director of the Fund, Adebayo Somefun, who disclosed this in Abuja yesterday at the on-going Abuja international trade fair, explained that NSITF paid out N203 million for health medical refund, while N261 million was paid out for death benefits, disability beneficiaries got N74 million and N8million was paid for loss of productivity for employers. 

He highlighted that the ECS covers compensation for injuries, mental stress, occupational diseases, hearing impairment, permanent or temporary disability and even vocational rehabilitation as well as covering for benefits of deceased employees whose families’ fortunes are upheld even after the passing away of their bread winners. 

He argued that the social security scheme has served as massive incentives for enhanced productivity and economic development as Nigerian workers are assured of a guaranteed livelihood. 

The NSITF boss added that the Fund paid additional 42 artificial limbs/parts to cater for workers who lost their limbs while carrying out their duties at work.  “It would interest you to know that the 42 beneficiaries of the artificial limbs/parts are currently being fitted and trained on how to move on with their lives as we speak,” he said. 

Somefun stressed that another 298 injured employees are currently placed on monthly or periodic payment, saying, “those on periodic payments are employees still in their productive years of 55 and below who are no longer functioning effectively because of workplace/related injuries. 20 persons above the age of 55 years have been paid lump sums on a once-off basis.”

He further explained that in order to cushion the burden on families of deceased employees who died in the course of work, the Fund has paid 41 lump sums for accidents/diseases resulting in death of the employees and is currently paying 226 families monthly benefits, one of which receives N1.5 million monthly.

While calling on all employers to key into the scheme for the benefit of the economy, Somefun said the scheme comes at no additional costs to workers. His words: “To access these benefits, the employer – government or private/individual – is required to pay one one percent (1%) of total payroll of the employees to the NSITF, and this is at no cost to the employee! Once that is done, it becomes the duty of NSITF to carry the burden which otherwise would have gone to the employer where there is a workplace injury, death or disability.”

He posited that the beauty of the scheme lies in its ‘no-fault’ design, which covers all categories of workers in every sector of employment. Somefun said every employer of labour is expected to join the scheme even those that have one employee. 

“As the law enabling the scheme stipulates, every organisation that employs even one worker is under statutory obligation to register for the ECS: these include domestic staff. It also emphasises that failure to do so amounts to a breach of the law,” he said.