NSITF Mobilizes Informal Sector for Social Insurance Scheme

Onyebuchi Ezigbo

In line with its establishment Act, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has rolled out measures to enlist more workers in the country’s informal sector into the scheme.

While flagging off a sensitization meeting with stakeholders in the informal sector in Abuja, the General Manager in charge of Abuja region, Tesh Kibikiwa, said that previously, the fund had concentrated on the enrollment of public sector workers and leaving out those outside the public service.

However, Kibikiwa said the management of the fund is now determined to reverse the trend by reaching out to the workforce in the informal sector.

“Today as you can see, a mixture of the informal sector chairmen or leaders of various sectors of associates in the informal sector. We have been concentrating on the formal sector but our Act stipulates that we should cover the informal sector which constitutes the larger percentage of the workforce in this country. Hence, we have commenced the process of sensitisation to bring stakeholders in this sector on board so that they can also enjoy the welfare package of the federal government,” he said.

Kibikiwa said that some of the benefits of the social insurance scheme included compensation for workplace injury.

“Whatever work you do, you should not suffer disabilities or injury but should you suffer injury, the NSITF will come in to take care of your medical expenses. The scheme will take care of workers that have injuries or disabilities resulting from their work and are treated properly to help them return to work or be rehabilitated,” he said.

On the criteria required for one to benefit from the scheme, the general manager said that one must be a worker or employee in the public sector or informal sector.

He also said that the worker is expected to pay one per cent of his or her total emolument, either monthly, quarterly or yearly.

When asked to assess the response from the informal sector, he said: “Today we were impressed by the turnout of the people in the informal sector.

“A lot of them that came have promised to take the message back to others and to ensure that their members are informed to enable them register with the social insurance scheme.”

He said the present management at the NSITF has spread its dragnet wide across the country to ensure that the people at the grassroots are given the opportunity to be part of the scheme.

The general manager further said that the management has reformed its systems to ensure that the processing of compensation is seamless.

“We are trying to make sure that anybody who makes a claim and after fulfilling all the requirements, recieve his payment not later than 14 days.

Among the informal sector workers that attended the workshop were representatives of the tricycle riders popularly known as Keke- Riders, the Civilian JTF, traders and other artisans.