By Chesa Chesa
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, has said the Fund has transformed from a largely manual and top-heavy organisation into a more digital, efficient and accountable institution in the last two years.
Faleye stated this on Monday, September 21, 2026, when the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Kamil A. Shoretire, paid a familiarisation visit to the NSITF headquarters in Abuja.
The NSITF boss said the visit provided an opportunity to brief the Permanent Secretary on the Fund’s reform journey, current realities and future aspirations.
According to him, when the current management assumed office in July 2024, it inherited an institution that relied significantly on manual processes, with a management structure heavily concentrated at the top, career stagnation, gaps in the deployment of human and material resources, and institutional processes requiring modernisation.
Quoting the late literary icon, Chinua Achebe, Faleye said: “A man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where he dried his body.”
He explained that the management had to confront the challenges honestly as the foundation for its reform programme.
“One of the first things we did was to undertake a comprehensive staff audit and provide an objective assessment of our workforce structure and organisational needs,” he said.
Faleye said the recommendations from the audit were being implemented in phases to ensure sustainable and evidence-based reforms.
He disclosed that the Fund had also embarked on a digital transformation programme to move from predominantly manual systems to integrated and responsive processes.
He added that structural imbalances were being addressed through a Voluntary Exit Exercise aimed at creating a leaner and more functional organisation with clearer responsibilities and improved opportunities for career progression.
On the work environment, Faleye said the Operations Directorate had been relocated to the more modern Mukhtar El-Yakub Building, while branches across the country were undergoing renovation.
He said offices operating under branch-in-branch arrangements were also being provided with dedicated spaces, while furniture, ICT equipment, printers and transportation capacity were being deployed progressively.
According to him, staff capacity building was also being sustained as part of the broader reform programme.
Faleye said the reforms were beginning to translate into expanded coverage for Nigerian workers under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS).
He disclosed that the Fund had successfully onboarded treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and commenced payment of claims, with the first batch of five beneficiaries recently receiving compensation at an event witnessed by the Permanent Secretary.
“We are at an advanced stage of engagement with the Lagos State Government and Taraba State Government, while discussions with a number of other States are progressing,” he said.
The NSITF managing director added that partnerships with several federal MDAs and regional organisations were also being strengthened to expand ECS coverage, particularly among workers in the informal and emerging economies.
