News
NSITF pays N1b to settle over 11,000 claimants in 2021 alone
***Doles out N.5billion Naira in the last five months
***Undergoes repositioning
The Chairman, management board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund ( NSITF), Prince Austin Enajemo-Isire has disclosed that in the year about ending (2021) alone the agency has settled over 11,000 claimants worth N1billion.
The Director of the Agency, Dr Mike Akabodu, said N529.9million was disbursed to such claimants between June and November this year.
During an interactive session with newsmen on the plan to reposition the agency in Abuja over the weekend, the Chairman said the financial account of the fund which was in arrears of over 7 years has been audited up to date with 2019 and 2020 currently under process and auditing.
“Today, NSITF is currently undergoing a transformation and repositioning to deliver on its core mandate in line with the vision of the fund. Therefore, a new beginning, a renewed hope weaved around a commitment to rebuild NSITF that the Nigerian workers will be proud of.
“It is gratifying to note that since the inauguration of the present executive management, the fund has been on a turnaround and a growth trajectory.
“This is one of the key promises made by the management board to change the narratives during their inauguration with a view to enthroning sound policies, accountability and probity.
“It may interest you to note that this year alone, well over 11,000 claims have been paid to different categories of claimants and more are being processed for payment.
“At the inception of this management board and as contained in the Honourable Minister of Labour’s Speech, the financial account of the fund was in areas of over 7 years but as we speak, this has been audited up to date with 2019 and 2020 currently under process and auditing”, he said .
He added that NSITF has continued to maintain presence in 11 regions and 56 branches across the nation to ensure easy accessibility by all employees and employers.
“With these offices across the country, we will reach out to more Nigerians and ensure that every worker, both in the formal and informal sectors, are well protected”, he stressed.
According to him, the Employee Compensation Act ( ECA), guiding the operations of NSITF , was a fall out of employee compensation scheme , introduced and powered by an act of parliament, known as ECA in 2010.
“The primary aims of the act is to provide a fair and guaranteed compensations to any employee of a registered employer who suffers occupational hazard while on active service; either leading to death or disability.
“Since the enactment of the Act, we have seen a leap unto the mountain of progress and a low walk on the valleys of the not so good”, he explained.
This is as he urged employers of labour both in the private and public sectors who are yet to key into the scheme to do so, as the board and new management are determined and yearning to deliver on their promises.
In his own brief remarks at the interactive session with journalists , the NSITF Managing Director, Dr Mike Akabodu said the agency is undergoing transformation and repositioning for better service delivery to workers in the country.
“The ongoing strategic repositioning of NSITF is geared towards opening up a new chapter for it devoid of controversy and bad image in whatever form” he said .
Former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Tom Adaba, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to reports, he died peacefully on Saturday in Abuja.
Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa, Secretary of the Egbira Elders Forum, confirmed the news, stating, “I feel sad to inform you that our elder and leader, Prof. Tom A. Adaba, has answered the call of nature this morning. Further details about his burial arrangements will be communicated later.”
Born on July 2, 1941, Prof. Adaba made significant contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Between 1988 and 1992, he became the first Nigerian to serve as President of the African Council for Communication Education.
Despite calls for suspension from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Police Force, the Osun State local government election proceeded as scheduled on Saturday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in Ede North Local Government Area, describing the process as peaceful and urging residents to exercise their franchise.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, cited a Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating sacked local government chairmen, while the police warned of potential security threats.
However, the Osun State government insisted on holding the election, emphasizing its commitment to obeying a court directive. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls.
Voting took place under tight security, with minimal commercial activity observed in Osogbo, the state capital.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, has indicated that Firmer President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the public presentation of former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, The Journey of Service, held in Abuja on Thursday was not surprising.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa suggested that Buhari’s no-show was a result of unresolved bitterness over the 1985 coup, in which Babangida overthrew him and subsequently detained him.
According to Vatsa, Buhari may still harbor resentment, especially over being denied the chance to bid his late mother farewell while in detention.
“It Would Have Been the 9th Wonder of the World If Buhari Had Attended”
Vatsa claimed that Buhari’s absence was expected, given the deep-seated history between the two former leaders.
“The memory of the ‘mother of all betrayals’ has not left him. It would have been the ninth wonder of the world if Buhari had attended that book launch,” he said.
The APC chieftain also linked Buhari’s perceived neglect of Niger State during his eight-year presidency to his history with Babangida.
“The whole world knows that Niger State was made a scapegoat by Buhari because of IBB. For eight years, he did not pay any serious official visit to the state, and not a single federal project was executed here. The Baro Port project was abandoned, and federal roads across the state were left in disrepair,” Vatsa alleged.
He claimed that despite the overwhelming votes Buhari received from Niger State in 2015 and 2019, the state was sidelined due to the personal history between the former presidents.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Niger State paid for the sin of one man,” he lamented.
When asked for his opinion on the contents of IBB’s autobiography, Vatsa said he would reserve his comments until he has read and digested the book fully.
“There are certain things I expected to see in the book. Once I am done reading, I will invite you all for my comments,” he stated.
The book launch attracted several high-profile attendees, including President Bola Tinubu, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon, as well as former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Other dignitaries included former Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, and ex-vice presidents Atiku Abubakar, Yemi Osinbajo, and Namadi Sambo, alongside traditional rulers and state governors.
Buhari’s absence, however, remained a major talking point, reinforcing speculations that the 1985 coup remains a sore point in Nigeria’s political history.
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