•Agency assures employers of data security, says certification services remain operational
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has dismissed a report published by Sahara Reporters on its Electronic Compliance and Safety Application (ECSA), describing the allegations as inaccurate and misleading.
The Fund, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Head of Corporate Affairs Department, maintained that ECSA was conceived, developed and deployed internally, stressing that the digital platform remains the intellectual property of NSITF.
The management also assured employers, employees and the general public that their data remain secure, adding that no employer information had been lost, copied, transferred or exposed.
The response followed a report published by Sahara Reporters on October 11, 2026, which raised concerns about the ownership, management and security of the ECSA platform.
According to NSITF, the suggestion that ECSA was copied or rebranded from the intellectual property of P2E Technologies Limited was false.
The Fund explained that ECSA was developed independently of the E-NSITF Project awarded to P2E Technologies on April 25, 2022.
It said the failure of the E-NSITF Project to deliver a functional electronic certification system prompted the Fund to upgrade an existing in-house data harmonisation tool into ECSA.
On concerns about who controls the platform and employers’ information, NSITF stated that the system and its data remain under the Fund’s control, with information hosted on its own database infrastructure.
It added that administrative and privileged access to the platform had always been restricted to designated NSITF officers, a safeguard the management said had been reviewed again.
The Fund further rejected suggestions that the platform had been shut down by an officer who subsequently became unreachable.
According to the statement, certification services remain operational and have not been disrupted by the ongoing transition.
NSITF also explained that the instruction for staff to recapture company records from April 2026 was a planned business-continuity and data-validation measure designed to ensure the uninterrupted issuance of compliance certificates while the handover process is completed.
It assured employers that they could continue to obtain certificates through the appropriate channels, branch offices and portal, adding that no eligible employer had been or would be denied certification.
The management also denied claims that an officer sought voluntary exit to return as a consultant responsible for managing ECSA.
It said exit applications were processed in accordance with public service rules and that no arrangement had been or would be made to place a Fund-owned digital platform under the control of an external individual.
Addressing the allegation that it failed to respond to media enquiries, NSITF said media requests were handled through its official communication channels on behalf of management.
The Fund urged journalists to verify information through its authorised channels before publication, while reaffirming its willingness to engage with the media on issues concerning its operations.
On data protection, NSITF said it handled employers’ information in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and remained committed to safeguarding the information entrusted to it.
The management further disclosed that it had formalised protocols covering platform ownership, source-code custody, system access and exit arrangements for ECSA and other digital systems operated by the Fund.
According to the statement, the measures were introduced under the leadership of the Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mr Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye, to ensure that no NSITF digital platform depended on a single individual.
The Fund said the strengthened safeguards were intended to improve institutional accountability, protect employers’ interests and ensure continuity in service delivery.
NSITF reiterated its commitment to transparency, the protection of employers’ and workers’ interests, and the continued delivery of its statutory services.
The statement was signed by the Head of the Corporate Affairs Department of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund on October 13, 2026.
