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NSITF set to expand social security mandate

By Collins Olayinka
24 May 2016   |   1:24 am
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has begun aggressive training of its staffers in readiness for the expansion of its mandate, its Acting Managing Director, Ismail Agaka has disclosed.
NSITF

NSITF

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has begun aggressive training of its staffers in readiness for the expansion of its mandate, its Acting Managing Director, Ismail Agaka has disclosed.

Speaking in Abuja at the orientation for its staff, Agaka hinted that NSITF Act is presently going through the legislative process of amendment at the National Assembly, which will enable it execute other aspects of social protection programmes.

He explained that the NSITF is 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.

His words: “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 do be amended and that is on-going at the National Assembly.”

Nigeria currently implements medical benefit that is implemented by the National Health Insurance while the National Pension Commission does the old age benefit. That means Nigeria is currently implementing three components out of nine while six components are still left uncovered.

Agaka stressed that Fund has amassed massive capacity to add more arms of social security to its present mandate.

“NSITF can add the invalidity benefit, which has correlation with what we are doing. We can also factor in the survivor benefit, which has correlation with employees compensation scheme because these three work hand and hand and we developed the capacity to add more aspects of social security with what we are doing already,” he said.

He said NSITF has developed training modules that are specifically weaved to meet the occupational needs of its staffers.

He explained: “We have a training calendar, which takes into cognizance the need of every staff and we are faithfully implementing. We also have generic training that cuts across employees of different departments, units and sections.

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