Tinubu: FG Targeting Integrated, Digitally-powered Social Protection System

• Says over 7.5m covered by Employees’ Compensation Scheme

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has said his administration is pursuing an objective to build an integrated and digitally enabled social protection system, where pensions, healthcare, employment support, social assistance, housing, and compensation programmes operate not in isolation, but as coordinated guarantees of social and economic security.

The president restated commitment of the federal government towards ensuring that every Nigerian worker is insulated from sudden economic ruins, workplace injury and assured of a dignified life after retirement.

He said that government was deliberately implementing reforms across various sectors and strengthening institutions that form the pillars of Nigeria’s evolving social security architecture

According to him, through the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, the federal government has fundamentally strengthened workplace injury protection, adding that over 7.5 million Nigerian employees are covered under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.

According to him, programmes such as N-Power have provided skills development and employment opportunities to hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians, improving employability while supporting service delivery across education, agriculture, and community development sectors”.

“Our objective is clear: to move toward an integrated and digitally enabled social protection system, where pensions, healthcare, employment support, social assistance, housing, and compensation programmes operate not in isolation, but as coordinated guarantees of social and economic security,” he said.

Tinubu said that through the efforts of the National Health Insurance Authority, access to affordable healthcare has continued to expand, with over 16 million Nigerians now enrolled under health insurance programmes, reducing catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenses and improving healthcare access for vulnerable populations.

The president stated this at the opening of a two-day ISSA 2026 West Africa Seminar holding in Abuja, the nation’s capital with the theme: “Improving inclusiveness and accessibility of social security services through effective communication in West Africa.”

Represented by the Minister for Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, President Tinubu said that under the oversight of the National Pension Commission, over 10 million Nigerian workers are actively contributing to the Contributory Pension Scheme, with pension assets now exceeding N25 trillion.

He noted the success of the pension reform could be seen from “the trust, the hard-earned savings of Nigerian workers who now have confidence that after a lifetime of service, retirement will not mean hardship, uncertainty, or loss of dignity, but security and peace of mind.

Giving further insights on government’s Tinubu said that over the years, the NDE has empowered more than two million Nigerians through vocational training, entrepreneurship development, and job creation initiatives, equipping young people with skills not only to earn a living, but to build sustainable futures.

He also said the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, targeted social intervention programmes continue to support vulnerable households through conditional cash transfers, food security initiatives, and livelihood support designed to cushion economic shocks.

The president charged the participants that the critical role of effective communication in social security intervention, adding that the true challenge lies in communication, an area where many institutions have struggled.

“Access does not automatically produce inclusion. Legislation alone does not create trust. A pension scheme fails if the market woman does not understand how to join it,” he said.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, assured that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment remains committed to its constitutional mandate of formulating and implementing policies that safeguard the welfare of Nigerian workers.

Earlier while welcoming participants to the conference, Managing Director of NSITF, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, said that addressing current challenges facing social security protection requires using innovation to strengthen governance, expand inclusion, and uphold human dignity.

He said that NSITF management has embarked on a progressive digital journey, moving away from fragmented, paper-based processes toward more integrated systems that enhance integrity, improve service delivery, and strengthen public confidence.

On the theme of the conference, Faleye said: “Our theme speaks directly to this moment, accessibility, effectiveness, inclusiveness, and the strategic use of digitisation in social security administration. These are not abstract ideals. They are practical measures of whether our institutions can keep pace with the changing lives and livelihoods of the people we exist to protect”.

In her paper, the Country Representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO), for Nigeria and West Africa Region, Ms. Vennessa Phala, listed some key challenges facing social security protection in Nigeria and other African countries to include limited coverage, low subscription level, concentrating on fractional population, poor institutional governance and low management capacity.

Phala also enumerated some of the opportunities and prospects of maintaining a virile social security scheme.

According to her, there are opportunities to leverage on digital technology and to utilize various communication channels in driving inclusiveness in social security scheme.

In addition, Phala said there is need to expand the social security register and to strengthen community-based communication approach as well as simplifying of administrative process.