The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, has urged the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) to step up policy implementation to enhance the welfare of Nigerian civil servants.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop for desk officers from both institutions, Walson-Jack said the goal is to ensure public servants receive the full benefits of health and social insurance programmes.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Welfare Office, Mrs. Patience Onyekunle, she said the workshop aims to strengthen institutional synergy and improve service delivery.
According to Walson-Jack, the workshop seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of revised implementation guidelines, clarify agency roles, harmonise procedures, and improve data management and communication with beneficiaries.
She noted that desk officers serve as the operational backbone of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and that inconsistent interpretation of policies in the past had led to inefficiencies across the civil service.
She described the NHIA and NSITF as critical pillars of Nigeria’s social protection framework. While the NHIA is tasked with ensuring access to affordable healthcare through insurance, the NSITF handles compensation for workplace injuries, occupational diseases, disability, and death.
Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, Managing Director of NSITF, represented by GM Nkiru Ogunaike, stated that over 136,000 employee compensation claims have been processed under the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010. These include cases involving disability, fatality, rehabilitation, and prosthetic support, with some families receiving up to ₦1.2 million monthly in benefits.
He acknowledged complaints over delays in claim processing and noted that a dedicated desk has been created in the HCSF office to expedite requests.
Also speaking, Mr. Sylvester Abba, Assistant Director at NHIA, highlighted the importance of training desk officers to effectively guide enrollees, who are entitled to primary and secondary healthcare, including referrals and dependents’ coverage. He emphasised the right to change healthcare providers and the importance of educating civil servants on their rights.
Earlier, Mr. Idris Aminu, Deputy Director for Occupational Health, Safety and Environment in the HCSF office, said the workshop aligns with ongoing public service reforms under the NHIA Act 2022 and the Employees’ Compensation Act.
He described the event as a deliberate effort to build transparency, efficiency, and citizen-focused service delivery within the civil service.
The workshop’s theme was “Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice in Implementation of NHIA Act 2022 and Employee Compensation Act of NSITF.”
