The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is seeking the collaboration of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to promote the safety of workers through the implementation of Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS).
The Managing Director of NSITF, Munir Abubakar, who disclosed this during a courtesy visit on the Corp Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Osita Chidoka, said the Fund is under obligation to ensure the payment of compensations to all Nigerian workers who suffer workplace injuries, occupational diseases and deaths.
He also said the mandate of the Fund however covers both private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Abubakar stressed that the partnership between NSITF and FRSC is hinged on the common mandates of both bodies which entail safety of Nigerian workers exposed to occupational hazards.
He said employers under the scheme are mandated to register their staffers with NSITF and pay minimum premium of 1% of the employees’ annual payroll. He revealed that FRSC is covered by treasury funded by the Federal Government and is not therefore expected to pay for its staff.
The managing director requested for FRSC’s database to enable the Fund know the number of employees on the payroll of FRSC, adding that this will help overcome some challenges in dealing with the commission’s staffers.
In his reaction, the corps marshal commended the ECS as a unique social insurance scheme far different from other conventional insurance schemes.
He said the FRSC as an agency needs the ECS more than any other government agency because its staff are accident prone.
Chidoka pledged to establish a liaison office with NSITF to enable the two agencies have closer collaboration in data collation and other issues that may concern both parties.
