Get Guardian on GoogleThe Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has warned that legal protections do not guarantee justice for workers unless they are properly compensated under the law.
It therefore called for stronger judicial interpretation, adjudication, and enforcement of the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) 2010.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, said workers must experience the protection the law promises, particularly when workplace accidents, occupational diseases, disability, or death expose them and their families to financial hardship.
Faleye said this at the opening of the Fund’s 2026 Legal Stakeholders’ Engagement in Abuja, themed: ‘Enhancing Judicial Interpretation, Adjudication and Enforcement under the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA), 2010.’
He said the effectiveness of the compensation scheme depends not only on the law’s provisions but also on how courts interpret them, resolve disputes, and ensure compliance with lawful judgments and orders.
According to him, weaknesses at any of these stages could undermine workers’ confidence in the scheme and weaken employers’ understanding of their legal obligations.
“Does the law provide a framework for protection? Yes. Does the Employees’ Compensation Act establish a system for compensation for work-related injury, disease, disability or death? Yes. But the existence of a law does not by itself guarantee that its promise will be fulfilled,” Faleye said.
He explained that workplace accidents often carried consequences beyond physical injuries, exposing workers and their families to emotional distress, loss of income and other social and economic difficulties.
The NSITF chief executive said the National Industrial Court of Nigeria played a critical role in determining the Act’s practical impact, noting that judicial decisions clarified workers’ rights, guided employers’ conduct, and set precedents for resolving subsequent disputes.
He added that workers needed confidence that legitimate compensation claims would be addressed, while employers required a predictable legal environment in which their obligations could be determined fairly.
Faleye reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to improving claims processing, strengthening administrative procedures, raising awareness and encouraging employers to comply with the Act.
However, he stressed that the NSITF could not achieve these objectives without effective collaboration with the judiciary, employers, organised labour and other stakeholders.
He urged participants to use the engagement to identify legal uncertainties, reduce avoidable disputes, improve cooperation, and develop practical recommendations to strengthen the scheme’s administration.
In his goodwill message, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, said public confidence in the justice system depended on the fair and impartial application of the law and the integrity of institutions responsible for its administration.
According to the minister, public institutions must demonstrate credibility through the quality and integrity of their actions, not official pronouncements alone.
Delivering the keynote address, the President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Justice Benedict Bakwaph Kanyip, called for stronger institutional collaboration to improve the administration of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme and ensure that its benefits reached intended beneficiaries.
