The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has paid more than N1 billion in compensation to injured workers and to families of deceased employees, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening social protection for Nigerian workers.
Speaking at the Lagos International Trade Fair, Managing Director, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye—represented by Mrs. Nkiru Ogunnaike, General Manager of Claims and Compensation—said the Fund’s interventions reflect its core promise that “no worker will be left behind when life takes an unexpected turn.”
According to figures released by the Fund, the compensation payouts cut across several sectors and cover workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and deaths under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS).
Mr. Faleye said the benefits demonstrate the Fund’s conviction that compensation is “not merely a policy but a promise to Nigerian workers.”
He disclosed that families of deceased employees of organisations including Depthwize Limited, Nigerian Breweries, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Indigo Drilling, Zenith Bank, Medplus, Unity Bank, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria had received millions of naira for workplace-related deaths and injuries.
He noted that the family of a Depthwize employee who died in a boat accident received N42.5 million, in addition to a monthly benefit of more than N2 million until the last child turns 21. Dependants of a Nigerian Breweries employee similarly received more than N76 million, with payments scheduled to continue until 2034.
The Fund also paid N93.8 million to the family of a deceased Mobil Producing Nigeria worker, while beneficiaries linked to Indigo Drilling received N320.4 million covering three deceased workers and two disability cases.
Mr. Faleye added that the Fund paid N20.7 million to a former employee of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, N15.6 million to a Zenith Bank worker, N20.2 million to a Medplus employee, and N11.1 million to a Unity Bank staff member.
In addition, a National Assembly employee received N25 million for an occupational disease, while 39 Nigeria Customs Service personnel collectively received more than N484 million in compensation.
A Nestlé Nigeria employee who sustained injuries in a road traffic accident received N31.1 million, along with ongoing medical refunds and disability allowances.
Mr. Faleye stressed that each payout represents the lived experience of a worker or family navigating hardship.
“Support is not a passive gesture; it is active, deliberate, and deeply human,” he said. “Behind every claim processed and every compensation paid, there is a human story: a father recovering from injury, a mother keeping her children in school, a young worker returning to work with courage.”
He emphasised that the Fund’s impact is strengthened by its tripartite structure, which brings together government, employers, and employees to maintain a fair and accountable social protection system.
Mr. Faleye urged stakeholders to improve compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, stressing that protecting workers is central to national development.
“A society that protects its workers is a society that prospers. Benefits compensation is not charity; it is justice, empowerment, and nation-building,” he said.
