Stakeholders must develop preventive measures to halt occupational deaths in the construction sector, Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Oluwaseun Faleye, has said.
Faleye stated this while delivering a keynote address as the special guest of honour at the 69th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Construction Industry in Abuja. He said more than 150 construction site accident-related deaths occurred in Nigeria in 2024 alone.
“It is a sobering reality that Nigeria experiences an average of 50-70 major construction accidents annually, including building collapses, falls, and machinery-related injuries. The Nigerian Safety Commission reported over 150 fatalities linked to construction site accidents last year alone,” he lamented.
The NSITF boss said such incidents highlight why it is better to prevent than cure, and went on to identify strengthening health and safety protocols as most crucial in curtailing occupational deaths.
He added: “This involves rigorous safety audits, compliance with standards, and continuous capacity building to protect workers at all times. A proactive safety culture — where risks are identified and mitigated early– is essential to preventing tragedies before they occur.”
Faleye, therefore, advocated collective effort in embedding safety and welfare into every project, saying that would foster work environments where workers can operate confidently and securely.
He urged construction companies to collaborate with NSITF’s Health, Safety and Environment team on audits, capacity building and other interventions, expressing the organisation’s commitment to partner with all willing employers in providing both physical and social protections to all Nigerian workers.
He further stated that the commitment to safety and well-being is foundational. It is also a strong element of sustainable industry growth.
“NSITF remains dedicated to supporting safety initiatives through regular audits, certification processes, and enforcement of standards because a resilient construction industry depends on a healthy, protected workforce,” he stated.
In the meantime, the Service Compact with all of Nigeria (SERVICOM) has scored the NSITF high in its assessment of the Fund’s service delivery for the past year.
A report of the assessment, which was unveiled in Abuja, showed that 10 regional and state branch offices were exceptional in their service to customers.
According to the report, the offices include the Abuja Regional and FCT Branch offices; Jos Regional and Branch offices; Asaba Regional and Branch offices, as well as Kano Regional and Branch offices.
Others are Bauchi Regional and Branch offices, Maiduguri, Enugu, Owerri, Lagos, and Port-Hacourt Regional and Branch offices.
SERVICOM Report stated that the objective of the evaluation was to ensure citizen-focused service delivery while identifying gaps in service delivery and making recommendations to the Fund to improve customer satisfaction and accountability.
The evaluation, which measured performance against the Fund’s mandate using the SERVICOM Index, scored the selected offices an average of 72.5 per cent.
Highlights of the evaluation report showed that the Fund scored high in the digitisation of its operations, which has led to better efficiency.
Other areas NSITF was rated excellently were in its spread of offices, fostering accessibility, streamlining of claims and compensation process, which enabled timely settlement, and provision of free work environment safety audits for employers to minimise work-related accidents.
