Emmanuel Ulayi,Phd
When Barr. Oluwaseun Faleye assumed leadership of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) as the Managing Director/CEO on July 16, 2024, the agency was at a crossroads. Burdened by backlogs, low public awareness, and manual processes, the agency tasked with providing social security for Nigerian workers struggled to meet the expectations of a growing workforce. Two years later, the metrics tell a different story. The Fund is processing faster, registering more employers, paying more beneficiaries, and aligning directly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Two years after, the narrative has shifted. From faster compensation for injured workers to digital platforms and regional partnerships, NSITF is repositioning itself as a central pillar of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The core mandate of NSITF is simple: Ensure that no Nigerian worker is left destitute after a workplace injury, disability, or death. In the last 24 months, that mandate has been given new urgency. Barr. Faleye’s administration prioritized clearing the backlog of claims. New standard operating procedures have been introduced to fast-track verification and payment to beneficiaries. The goal, he has said repeatedly, is “dignity in times of distress.”
Beyond compensation, the Fund has expanded sensitization across formal and informal sectors. Employers are being brought into compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Act, while workers are being educated on their rights to social protection. For many families who previously had no safety net, the Fund has become the difference between hardship and stability.
The Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda places emphasis on job creation, poverty reduction, and inclusive growth. NSITF’s reforms are being deliberately framed within that vision. “Social security is not welfare. It is an investment in productivity,” a senior management official noted. “When workers know they are protected, employers comply more, and the economy becomes more stable.”
Under Faleye, NSITF has aligned its programmes with federal priorities: expanding coverage to more Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), supporting vulnerable workers, and ensuring that social protection contributes directly to national development goals. Indeed, the scheme has expanded significantly, enrolling over 7.8 million employees into the ECS. Recently, it enrolled in the Nigeria police Force. As at today, the NSITF has disbursed over billion naira in compensation to affected workers and dependents across various sectors, including oil and gas, banking, and the Civil Service.
Most importantly, the NSITF has extended its Employee Compensation Scheme (ECS) to cover the informal sector, providing a social safety net for millions of artisans, traders, and gig workers. The scheme aims to bridge the gap between the formal and informal economies, bringing millions of unprotected Nigerian workers into a secure social safety net. Falaye has conducted nationwide campaigns across the geopolitical zones, engaging with trade groups and unions, such as Keke riders and market women. The Fund is actively collaborating with tech platforms (e.g., ride-hailing services) to ensure independent collaborators can also participate in the social security scheme.
Perhaps the most visible transformation has been in technology. Two years ago, many NSITF processes were still paper-based, leading to delays and opacity. The Fund has now rolled out digital platforms for employer registration, contribution remittance, and claims processing. The e-NSITF portal and upgraded database have cut processing times and improved transparency. Workers and employers can track claims status in real time, a move that has boosted trust in the system.
Digitalisation has also helped NSITF expand its reach beyond Abuja and Lagos, bringing social insurance closer to workers in state offices across the country.
Organizationally, Barr. Faleye initiated a wide-ranging reorganization. Redundant units were streamlined, job roles were clarified, and performance metrics were introduced.
Equally important has been the focus on staff welfare. Training programmes, career development workshops, and improved communication channels have been introduced to raise morale. “An agency that protects workers must first take care of its own people,” Faleye told staff at a meeting. The result is a workforce that is more motivated and more accountable to the public it serves.
In a bid to adopt global best practices, NSITF under Faleye has deepened collaboration with sister agencies in Africa. Partnerships and knowledge-exchange programmes with the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation of The Gambia and the Compensation Fund of South Africa have been undertaken. Recently, a high-level delegation from South Africa’s Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) visited the NSITF culminating in a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on workers’ compensation, occupational safety and digital transformation in social insurance.
Similarly, the Board of the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund (IICF) of the Gambia’s Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation 9SSHFC) just concluded a one-week study tour of the operations of the NSITF and the administration of Nigeria’s Employees’ Compensation Scheme. The event provided an avenue for both agencies to share ideas on institutional governance, employment injury compensation, compliance management, claims administration, rehabilitation programmes, research, actuarial planning and digital transformation.
Two years is not enough to fix decades of structural challenges. But within NSITF, there is a clear sense that the foundation has been laid. Barr. Faleye’s tenure so far has been defined by three words staff and stakeholders keep using: access, speed, and transparency. More workers are being covered. Claims are being paid faster. And the agency is becoming more visible, both to employers and to the government it serves.
As Nigeria pushes to build a more resilient labour force under the Renewed Hope Agenda, NSITF’s transformation offers a case study in what focused leadership can do: take a statutory mandate and turn it into real protection for real people.
With two years down, NSITF is targeting 100% digital claims by 2026 ending, full integration with state social protection systems, and expanded coverage for informal workers. For Barr. Faleye, the data is more than statistics. “Every number is a worker, a family, a business that now has a safety net,” he said at the 2025 management retreat.
Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, NSITF is no longer just a compensation fund. It is becoming Nigeria’s primary platform for workplace social security.
. Ulayi is of the Corporate Communications and Strategy Department of the NSITF
