Abigail Erhiagboje
The Federal Government has begun implementation of mandatory 1 per cent contribution from public servants Emoluments to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
The contribution is for the Employees’ Compensation Scheme of NSITF.
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This was confirmed in a statement released on Sunday, October 1, signed by bthe General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Nwachukwu Godson.
Tbe statement indicated that the Federal Government the Federal Government had in a circular dated 22 September and signed by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, instructed all arms of the FG and agencies under them to commence the deduction at source and remit to the NSITF.
The statement said the directive commencement was sequel to the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under President Buhari in May this year for the e-deduction of 1 per cent of the federal employees’ emoluments in respect to the Employee Compensation Scheme which was supposed to have taken effect from January 2023.
The circular directed the Minister of Finance to carry out the deduction of the contributions and hand it over to the NSITF, who would in turn handle the payment of the compensations to the employees in case of death, injury, sickness or disability which might occur during their period of active service to the Federal Government, according to the Employees Compensation Act, 2010, Act No. 13. It also instructed all the ministries, departments and agency on strict adherence to the policy.
According to Godson, the Managing Director of the NSITF, Barr. Maureen Allagoa, announced the news on the circular during an official visit to the new office, housing the Abuja region and FCT branch of the fund in Maitama. She commended the FG for taking such decision, stating that the fund would go a long way in helping the Nigerian workers.
According to her, “This is a giant plus to our charge as the nation’s core social security agency as it will give a big push to the momentum of our operations in their ramifications. “There shall be no excuses on our own part in fully keying into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government. The effort is collective and we shall not rest on our oars until we reach out to all Nigerian workers whether in the formal or informal sector.”
Alagoa also assured workers of having their full rights at work, human dignity, social protection and dialogue in line with the Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organisation, which is in line with her ability to have urgently secured a new office for the Abuja region and the FCT branch, which was a clear sign of her dedication to her job.
She promised that some observed challenges would be tackled along the line and that the staff should feel comfortable as their welfare is of utmost importance for the promotion of good performance at work.
