•• 15 Years After ECA, Scheme Takes Effect For Public Servants
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
Fifteen years after the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) was signed into law, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has paid a total of N31.72 million in compensation to five beneficiaries of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The cheques were presented to the beneficiaries on Tuesday in Abuja, marking what NSITF described as a major milestone in extending the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS) to federal public servants.
The beneficiaries comprised families of deceased workers and employees who suffered injuries in the course of their official duties.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSITF, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, described the presentation as the fulfilment of a legal obligation rather than a ceremonial event.
“We are not here for a ceremony. We are here to keep a promise,” Faleye told beneficiaries, Permanent Secretaries and heads of MDAs.
He said the development marked the transition of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme from a policy framework to tangible support for affected workers and their families.
“What began as a system on paper has, today, become a cheque in someone’s hand. That is the distance between policy and people, and today, we closed it,” he said.
The ECA 2010 provides compensation for workers in both the public and private sectors who suffer workplace injuries, occupational diseases or death in the course of their employment.
Faleye noted that, for years, the protection provided by the law had remained largely inaccessible to federal civil servants, but said the situation had changed following the onboarding of federal workers into the ECS framework.
He said the establishment of an ECS Help Desk at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in April 2026 had also helped to simplify access to information, incident reporting and claims processing.
The NSITF boss commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, for driving compliance with the scheme across the public service.
“What we are witnessing today does not happen without leadership willing to make compliance a culture rather than a memo,” Faleye said.
He added that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had not merely permitted the process but had actively driven and defended it to ensure that civil servants were covered by the government’s welfare architecture.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Faleye acknowledged that financial compensation could not replace a lost loved one or erase the pain suffered by affected families.
“I will not stand here and tell you that any amount on any cheque undoes what your family has been through. It does not,” he said.
“What this cheque does say is this: you were not forgotten. Your loss was seen. Your sacrifice was recorded, not just in a file, but in the conscience of this nation.”
He assured beneficiaries that NSITF’s responsibility would not end with the payment, saying the agency would intensify efforts to accelerate claims processing and strengthen occupational health and safety standards.
Faleye also urged MDAs that were yet to fully enrol their workers in the scheme to do so immediately.
“To every MDA and every organisation not yet fully enrolled: your workers are already exposed to the risk. The only question is whether they are also protected. Enrol. Comply,” he said.
The beneficiaries and amounts paid were: Jae Grace Danture, Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation — N3,821,009.28; Uzochukwu Aguomba, Ministry of Labour and Employment — N10,397,550; Olofu Pius Agri, University of Abuja — N3,168,656; Patience Oyekunle Nwankwo, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation — N2,450,000; and Audu Sanda Eyum, Pension Transition Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) — N11,883,355.
Speaking at the event, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, commended Faleye and the NSITF management for their commitment to protecting the welfare and dignity of Nigerian workers.
“Today, we are translating the Government’s promise of protection into practical support for Civil Servants and families affected by work-related injury, occupational disease, disability or loss,” she said.
She stressed that the cheques were neither gifts nor acts of charity but lawful entitlements under the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010.
“These cheques are neither gifts nor acts of charity. They are lawful entitlements under the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010, and evidence that the Government stands with those who serve,” Walson-Jack said.
She commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritising the welfare and dignity of workers, saying the Employees’ Compensation Scheme aligned with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda by placing people and improved public service delivery at the centre of governance.
According to her, the operationalisation of the scheme for public servants under the present administration demonstrated the President’s recognition of the critical role of the public service in governance.
Walson-Jack recalled that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and NSITF had earlier in the year signed a Memorandum of Understanding and commissioned the ECS Help Desk to simplify access to information, facilitate incident reporting and support claims processing.
She said Tuesday’s compensation presentation demonstrated that the partnership was already producing tangible results.
The Head of Service explained that the Employees’ Compensation Scheme provides financial compensation, medical care, counselling and rehabilitation for affected employees, as well as support for dependants in fatal cases.
She described the scheme as an important social protection mechanism designed to help affected public servants recover and rebuild their lives with dignity.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. Kamil Ayinde Shoretire, commended NSITF for fulfilling its mandate of providing social security and protection to Nigerian workers.
Shoretire said the Employees’ Compensation Scheme was designed to promote workplace safety and provide protection against incidents capable of undermining workers’ wellbeing.
“These activities today are a demonstration of the Tinubu-led government’s commitment to boost workers’ productivity and improve safety at the workplace,” he said.
He assured that NSITF would continue to strengthen its services to Nigerians and enhance social protection in workplaces.
NSITF Executive Director, Finance, Samuel Olufemi Ayodele, said the agency was proud of the development, describing it as evidence that the Fund was making progress in fulfilling its mandate.
“We are proud of moments like this, which clearly show we are on course in the discharge of our mandate and responsibility to workers and the Nigerian people,” Ayodele said.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Sandra Audu of PTAD commended NSITF officials for their professionalism during the verification and claims process.
She disclosed that despite her health condition, which prevented her from visiting the NSITF office, officials made arrangements to meet her at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.
“I did not know anybody at NSITF, but everything went well. Even when I was at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, because of my condition, I couldn’t go to the office, but they made arrangements to meet with me, and everything went seamlessly,” she said.
Audu described the experience as another benef
it of the Renewed Hope Agenda and commended NSITF and other stakeholders for ensuring that affected workers and families could access their lawful entitlements.
