•Female worker knocked by reckless driver got N5m compensation
Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said it paid a total of N306, 554,896.23 as claims and compensations to registered employers, employees and their dependents in the last four months.
The organisation also disclosed that it was in the process of automating all its operational activities under the e-project initiative.
NSITF’s Managing Director, Mr. Michael Akabogu, who was represented by the General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Secretary to Board, Ijeoma Oji-Okoronkwo at the Fund’s interactive session with journalists in Abuja, yesterday, said the claims and compensations covered medical expenses refund, loss of productivity, disability benefits incurred by employees.
She said the payment took care of benefits to the next of kin of deceased employees and retirement benefits to disabled employees.
“In the last four months, we have paid a total of N306,554,896.23 claims and compensations,” she added.
Giving further details of disbursement of compensation, Okoronkwo said the NSITF paid N4,994,150 to an employee of the Hydrodrive Nigeria Limited who had a fatal accident on January 4, 2019.
She also said the NSITF made a payment of N5,907,421.80 as death benefits to the next of kin of an employee of the International Breweries Plc who died in the course of work.
While giving updates on the activities of the organisation, Okoronkwo said NSITF has successfully processed 23,455 employers’ claims in all it’s 56 branches and issued 22,761 Employees’ Compensation Certificate within the last four months.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, the NSITF gave one million as donation to the Kpakpando Foundation for physically challenged persons in Nigeria.
Okoronkwo said in compliance with the federal government’s directive on ease of doing business, NSITF embarked on e-NSITF project that would among other benefits help to block all financial and productivity leakages in the organisation.
Also, the NSITF disclosed that it had compensated a female secretary knocked by a reckless driver, with over N5.1 million since the victim, an enrollee of its scheme became paralysed, bedridden and dumb.
Oji-Okoronkwo said the bedridden female workers N5.1 million was part of the N306, 554,896.23 paid as compensation and claims.
“On the 4th of January 2019, while waiting at the bus stop on her way to work, a reckless bus driver knocked her down resulting to a fracture to her right hand, spinal cord, and head injury.
“She was awarded 100 per cent disability and was treated at the Lagoon hospital, Lagos.
“As of the last visit paid to her on 14 January 2022, she was completely bedridden, paralysed in all limbs, unable to speak and completely dependent on her husband.
“The arrears of disability benefits in the sum of N4,994,150.18 was paid after which the beneficiary was placed on monthly disability benefits in the sum of N146,886.17.
“This is one of out of many services that the NSITF offers to the registered employees.”
The NSITF boss: “The mandate of the NSITF is to champion the provision of the federal government’s social security programmes for Nigerian workers.
“We evolved from a Provident Fund Scheme to a Social Insurance Scheme and currently the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.”
