The Minster of the Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has assured the compliance of all the ministry’s agencies to the Employees Compensation Scheme(ECS) of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
The minister gave the assurance during NSITF Managing Director Oluwaseun Faleye’s advocacy visit to the ministry over the weekend.
“For us as Ministry of Interior, Federal Fire Service, Correctional Service, Immigration Service, National Identity Management Commission, NSCDC, others, we will obey the law.
“Putting it in proper perspective, the risk my officers take every day is huge, my officers at the border, when they are there, you never know what can happen.
“They do not sleep, so that we all can sleep; they go hungry so that we can eat; they sacrifice their blood, their sweat, and everything for this country.
“We will make sure that all the agencies under the boards of the ministry obey the law. It is a law, and compliance is mandatory,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo, however, NSITF to work toward a fair and equitable work environment beneficial to both the strong and weak in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu administration.
According to him, the ECS is a law that must be obeyed to guarantee social safety net to workers in the formal and informal sectors.
He said, “ What the president wants is a new Nigeria; a Nigeria that will work, not just for the strong, but also for the weak; a renewed hope: to give hope even in the most hopeless situation; that is what he wants.
“Also, I believe that as young people, we are in a better position to think outside the box, to be able to create a new Nigeria, to change the story, re-write it that generations coming can be proud of.
“Nobody can write such a story better than we can.”
The Minister also highlighted the need for direct deductions of ECS contributions from the accounts of ministries, parastatals and agencies of the Federal Government in line with the law.
He, however, stressed the need for accountable and transparent use of all funds.
In his address, Faleye underlined the preparedness of the NSITF to support the economic renaissance of the president and further spoke extensively on the benefits of the ECS to workers and employers.
He said the visit was to essentially look at all of the issues, address the compliance barriers that might be between the ministry, Fund, relevant agencies and drive strategic initiatives together to benefit the nation’s workforce.
He stated that the Interior Ministry with agencies whose employees worked in difficult terrains were assured of better safety cover with the ECS.
“It is also very important to speak about the benefits that are expected if there is compliance with the law.
“I have mentioned the payment of medical refunds, where there is any injury or sickness that is work related, NSITF will step in and be responsible for such medical bills.
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“In the unfortunate occurrence of death arising out of work, we will pay compensation to family members of the bereaved up to a certain threshold.
“There is also the payment of loss of productivity where employers are able to recoup loss of productivity that is associated with the death of an employee or sickness arising from work.
“All of these we believe are important social safety nets that ultimately improve productivity in the country and that is our contribution to the economic renaissance that is being led by the president of the Federal republic of Nigeria, Faleye said.
