By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Minister of labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, on Thursday, charged the staff of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) to continue to put in their best to actualise the Employee Compensation Scheme (ECS).
The Minister, who remarked while flagging off the 2023 Customer Service Week at the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja, assured the management and staff of the support and cooperation of the Ministry towards ensuring that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and his vision for Nigerian workers is actualized in the agency. He exhorted them to work hard and shun all distractions that pull the organization down.
He urged the agency to exploit the opportunity offered by Customer Service Week to review its services to the Nigerian workers to serve them better.
The Minister further assured that under him, the agency would be “unbundled” for efficiency and make its operations fair to all staff members. He promised that no staff would be witch-hunted in the exercise.
Later, while leading the NSITF focal officers on a roadshow to mark the event, the Executive Director, Administration of the Fund, Prof Gabriel Okenwa, thanked the Minister for being responsive to the needs of the staff and added it was the first time in the history of the agency that its supervising minister would flag off its Customer Service Week.
He assured the Minister that the Fund had already keyed into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government, ranging from transparency, and efficient deployment of resources to streamlining the operations of the Fund in line with global best practices.
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A statement issued by the General Manager of Corporate Affairs of the Fund, Nwachukwu Godson, quoted the Executive Director as saying, “Our new mantra is that this fund, “the NSITF Can.” If there are missteps in the past, present management and staff are already forging ahead, ever determined to ensure that we deliver fully on our onerous obligation to the world of work.
“The services we offer are dear to the heart of every Nigerian worker – safety at workplaces and prevention of accidents, paying of compensation for injury in the course of work, rehabilitation, and assisting injured enrolees to be on their feet again while helping bereaved families live beyond pains in case of death of dear ones in the course of work.
“We can’t thank the Honourable Minister, indeed the Federal Government enough for insisting that the huge benefits of the Employee Compensation scheme should be availed to every worker in the public sector through a compulsory contribution of one percent of their emoluments by the MDAs. It is important to also state clearly that this one per cent deduction is not to be made from the salaries of workers.”
Also in her remark, the Deputy General Manager and Head of the Fund’s SERVICOM Department, Gertrude Biosah said the annual event is an opportunity to recognize and appreciate dedicated frontline representatives and foster a sense of teamwork amongst our Staff.
She said, “Customer Service Week is an internationally recognized celebration that emphasizes the importance of exceptional customer service. By participating in this event, we can enhance productivity, build resilience, and boost employee morale.
The event is an international celebration that allows the organisation to appreciate both internal and external customers.
The roadshow was taken to various parts of Abuja City.
