NSITF Hits 85% of Contribution Target for 2026 at Mid-Year, As Faleye Urges Shift to Impact in Second Half

…Challenges Regional Managers to shift from activity to outcomes

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has recorded approximately 85% of its contribution target in the first half of 2026, despite what management described as a period of significant institutional change.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, disclosed this at the opening of NSITF’s 2026 Half-Year Management Performance Review held simultaneously in six regional locations of the Fund.

According to Faleye, the result reflected “The collective commitment of our Regional and Branch leadership, the dedication of our compliance teams and the determination of our workforce to deliver results regardless of the challenges before them.”

The MD noted that the first half of the year was defined by the Voluntary Exit Exercise which he described as “an important milestone in our institutional journey” that came with new responsibilities and leadership demands.

“Across the country, many of our offices adapted to these changes with remarkable resilience and professionalism. Officers stepped into new roles, teams reorganised themselves and, despite the inevitable pressures that accompany such a transition, the work of the Fund continued without interruption,” he stated.

“That resilience deserves recognition. It reminds us that while systems, structures and technology are important, the greatest strength of any institution will always be its people,” the NSITF MD added.

“Excellence should never pass unnoticed. Recognition celebrates hard work, inspires healthy competition and reminds us that outstanding performance is always worthy of acknowledgement,” Faleye said.

He stressed that the review was not about naming failures. “The purpose of this Review is not to identify who has succeeded and who has failed, but to understand that which is working, address what is not is and create an environment where every office can succeed.”

Looking ahead, the MD said NSITF’s priorities are to “deepen compliance, expand social security coverage, improve the speed and quality of claims administration, strengthen stakeholder engagement and continue building an institution trusted by employers, employees and the Nigerian public.”

He placed emphasis on digital transformation, better data quality and simplified processes to reduce delays, cautioning however that technology alone would not deliver results.

“Yet technology alone cannot transform an institution; people do. Every reform ultimately depends on leadership, integrity, discipline and our collective willingness to embrace change,” he said.

Faleye reminded staff that NSITF’s mandate is ultimately about people: “the injured worker, the bereaved family, the employer seeking responsive service and every Nigerian worker who deserves the protection and dignity provided through the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.”

“When we remember the people behind the statistics, compliance becomes more than enforcement, claims administration becomes more than a process and service delivery becomes our contribution to a more secure and productive nation,” he said.

The MD urged all Regional Managers, Branch Managers, Heads of Departments and staff to leave the two-day review with “renewed purpose and determination.”

“When we gather again for our Year-End Management Performance Review, I want us to look back with confidence, not simply because we achieved our targets, but because we strengthened our institution, expanded protection for Nigerian workers and demonstrated that the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund is steadily becoming the modern, responsive and trusted social security institution our nation deserves,” Faleye stated, concluding that “the story of 2026 is still being written. I am confident that, together, we will ensure that its final chapters are our strongest.”

In her presentation, the Executive Director (Operations), Mrs Mojisola Alli-Macaulay, who doubles as the Chairman, Regional Management Performance Review, challenged the regional and branch leadership of the Fund to shift focus from activity to outcomes, saying the real measure of success is how many employers comply, how fast claims are paid, and how many more Nigerian workers are covered under social security.

The Executive Director Operations said with the theme “From Performance to Impact: Strengthening Compliance, Enhancing Service Delivery, and Expanding Social Security Coverage,” the annual review was designed to move the Fund beyond targets and reports.

“It is easy to become consumed by deadlines, reports, targets and immediate operational demands. This Review gives us room to step back and ask: Are our efforts producing the results we expect? Are employers and employees experiencing better service?” Ali-Macauley told the gathering, adding that impact is visible “when an employer understands and fulfils their obligations. It is seen when a claim is treated promptly and professionally. It is seen when an injured worker or a family receives the support they are entitled to under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme. It is also seen when more Nigerian workers are brought within the protection of social security.”

She noted that “every Region operates within its own realities. Each has its own challenges, lessons and areas of progress, saying what matters is the willingness to learn from one another.

The ED outlined four priority areas for operational leaders: more purposeful employer engagement, better compliance outcomes from field operations, efficient and professional claims handling, and stronger use of technology backed by better-quality data and clearer reporting.

“We also need better-quality data, clearer reporting and a stronger use of technology in our daily work. These may sound like operational matters, but they directly affect the quality of the decisions we make and the service we provide,” she added, and urged participants to be candid in their presentations, sharing both what worked and what did not, so that successful approaches in one branch can be adapted elsewhere.

“The value of this review will not be determined only by the quality of the presentations made here. What will matter most are the decisions we take, the lessons we carry back to our offices and the actions that follow after this meeting,” the ED said.

The Executive Director commended the Managing Director/Chief Executive for leadership and support, and expressed hope that discussions would be “open, constructive and useful” for a clearer roadmap for the regions and branches of the Fund.

The Fund recognised 17 outstanding Branches for contribution collection against target: Kebbi, Sokoto, Damaturu, Dutse, Trans-Amadi, Ado-Ekiti, Yenagoa, Katsina, Lekki, Port Harcourt, Ikeja, Bauchi, Mainland, Zaria, Gusau, Yola and Kano.

Its top three collecting branches were also singled out: Victoria Island, Lagos Central and Lekki, which together accounted for approximately 40% of the Fund's total collections during the period under review.

The Regional MPR serves as NSITF’s key platform to assess performance, review resolutions from previous meetings, and agree on practical steps to strengthen compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Act and expand coverage nationwide.

NSITF Pays Over N31m Compensation To Families Of 5 Federal Workers

Fifteen years after the Employees’ Compensation Act was signed into law, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) on Tuesday  presented the first compensation cheques worth N31,720,570.5 million directly to five beneficiaries from treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The maiden presentation held in Abuja, brought together families who lost loved ones or suffered workplace injuries in the course of public service.

Managing Director and Chief Executive of NSITF, Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, said the event was not ceremonial but the fulfilment of a legal promise. "We are not here for a ceremony. We are here to keep a promise," Faleye told beneficiaries, permanent secretaries and heads of MDAs.

"What began as a system on paper has, today, become a cheque in someone's hand. That is the distance between policy and people, and today, we closed it."

The ECA 2010 guarantees compensation to every worker in Nigeria, whether in the public and private sector, who suffers injury, occupational disease, or dies in the course of work. For years, Faleye said, that guarantee "lived mostly on paper" for federal civil servants.

The breakthrough followed the onboarding of federal workers into the ECS framework and the launch of an ECS Help Desk at the Office of the Head of Service in April this year.

Faleye paid tribute to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, for driving compliance in the public sector. 

"What we are witnessing today does not happen without leadership willing to make compliance a culture rather than a memo," he said.

"Your office did not simply permit this process; it drove it, defended it, and insisted that Nigeria's civil servants would not be an afterthought in their own government's welfare architecture,” he added.

Addressing beneficiaries directly, the NSITF boss acknowledged that no payment could replace a lost life. "I will not stand here and tell you that any amount on any cheque undoes what your family has been through. It does not," he said.

"What this cheque does say is this: you were not forgotten. Your loss was seen. Your sacrifice was recorded, not just in a file, but in the conscience of this nation."

He assured families that NSITF’s responsibility does not end with the payment. "We consider it begun," he added, citing plans for faster claims processing and stronger occupational health and safety standards to prevent future incidents.

Faleye also urged MDAs yet to fully enrol their staff to act immediately. "To every MDA and every organisation not yet fully enrolled: your workers are already exposed to the risk. The only question is whether they are also protected. Enrol. Comply," he said, adding that “every family in this room today is proof of what it costs when protection arrives late, and proof of what it means when, eventually, it arrives at all."

The NSITF boss said the scheme will now be extended to reach every eligible worker across the federal service, not only those who know to ask.

The beneficiaries include, Jae Grace Danture from the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (N3,821,009.28), Uzochukwu Aguomba (N10,397,550), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olofu Pius Agri (N3,168,656), University of Abuja, Patience Oyekunle Nwankwo (N2,450,000), Office of Head of Service of the Federation and Audu Sanda Eyum (N11,883,355) from the Pension Transition Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).

In her remarks at the occasion, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, commended the NSITF MD and his organization for their commitment to the protection of workers. “I strongly commend the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Mr. Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye, and his team for their commitment to protecting the welfare and dignity of Nigerian workers and making today possible”.

She noted that “Today, we are translating Government’s promise of protection into practical support for Civil Servants and families affected by work-related injury, occupational disease, disability or loss. These cheques are neither gifts nor acts of charity. They are lawful entitlements under the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010, and evidence that Government stands with those who serve”.

She commended President Bola Tinubu for continuously prioritising the welfare and dignity of workers, stressing that the ESC advances the “Renewed Hope Agenda by placing people and improved service delivery at the centre of governance. That the Act has become operational for Public Servants for the first time, under this Administration, is evidence of Mr. President’s belief in the critical role the Public Service plays in Governance”.

She recalled that earlier in the year, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the NSITF signed a Memorandum of Understanding and commissioned the Employees’ Compensation Scheme Help Desk. The Help Desk was established to simplify access to information, facilitate incident reporting and support the processing of claims and this presentation demonstrates that the partnership is producing tangible results.

According to her, “The Employees’ Compensation Scheme provides financial compensation, medical care, counselling and rehabilitation for affected employees, as well as support for dependents in fatal cases. It is an important social protection mechanism that supports recovery and enables affected officers to rebuild their lives with dignity. It is designed to provide succour to Public Servants whose lives are adversely affected, during the course of their official duties”.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. Kamil Ayinde Shoretire, praised NSITF for keeping to its mandate to ensure Nigerians have access to social security and protection.

He said the Employees' Compensation Scheme was framed to ensure safety at the workplace and guarantee against any form of incident that would undermine the wellbeing of workers.

“These activities today are a demonstration of the Tinubu-led government's commitment to boost workers' productivity and improve safety at the workplace. NSITF will continue to serve Nigerians better as it has shown commitment to enhance social safety in our workspaces”, he stated.

NSITF’s Executive Director (Finance), Samuel Olufemi Ayodele, reacting to the accolades given by the Head of Service and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, restated that the NSITF was excited to host such events, saying, “We are proud of moments like this, which clearly show we are on course in the discharge of our mandate and responsibility to workers and the Nigerian people.”

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Sandra Audu from PTAD, commended the NSITF for their professionalism, especially in carrying out the verification, saying, “ I want to thank the management of the NSITF and the staff for their commitment to professionalism.

“I did not know anybody at NSITF, but everything went well. Even when I was at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, because of my condition, I couldn’t go to the office, but they made arrangements to meet with me, and everything went seamlessly. To me, this is another benefit of the Renewed Hope Agenda, and I commend all those concerned”, she stated.

NSITF Boss Links AI Adoption to Workplace Protection

MD/CE, NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye speaking at the training programme

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has called for a deliberate link between digital transformation and social protection as African businesses embrace Artificial Intelligence.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of NSITF, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, made the call on Monday at the official launch of the ESBC–InnoPower LLC (USA) Free MSMEs AI Master Training Program held at the UN House, Abuja.

The program, spearheaded by the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition in partnership with InnoPower LLC (USA) and the United Nations Development Programme, is designed to equip micro, small and medium enterprises across the region with AI skills to compete in a digital economy.

Faleye, who was the special guest at the event, said MSMEs remain the foundation of Nigeria’s economy.

Citing data from SMEDAN and the National Bureau of Statistics, he noted that approximately 96 percent of businesses in Nigeria are MSMEs, employing millions and sustaining countless families.

“When MSMEs grow, communities prosper. When they innovate, economies become more competitive. And when they become more resilient, nations become stronger,” he said.

He described the training as “far more than a training initiative” but “an investment in the future competitiveness of West Africa.”

Faleye, however, stressed that technology alone would not guarantee business resilience and he urged entrepreneurs to match AI adoption with worker welfare and safety.

“Digital transformation and workplace protection are not separate conversations, they are the same conversation,” he told the gathering of government officials, development partners and business leaders, stressing that “technology enables businesses to work smarter. Social protection enables people to work with confidence. An enterprise that embraces Artificial Intelligence but neglects the welfare and safety of its workforce has merely modernized its operations without strengthening its resilience.”

He added that as businesses expand across ECOWAS, they will require “equally responsive systems of occupational safety, workplace protection and social security.” NSITF, he reiterated, remains committed to supporting that journey through stronger partnerships, awareness, and service delivery.

Faleye commended ESBC, InnoPower LLC and UNDP for bringing together government, private sector and development partners to equip entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools for the digital age.

He charged participants to “learn continuously. Innovate boldly” but to remember that “your greatest asset will always be your people. Protect them. Invest in them.”

“On behalf of the Management and staff of NSITF, I congratulate all partners whose vision has made this initiative possible,” he said. “The enterprises that will define Africa’s future will not simply be those that adopt the latest technologies. They will be those that combine innovation with responsibility, ambition with resilience.”

The launch drew high-level dignitaries including the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, representatives of UNDP Nigeria and the UNDP Regional Office for West and Central Africa, and Dr. Abdulrashid Yerima, Regional President of the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition. Representatives of InnoPower LLC (USA) were also present.

The Free MSMEs AI Master Training pProgramme is expected to run across selected ECOWAS states, targeting business owners seeking to leverage AI for production, marketing and regional trade.

Two years after, Faleye resetting NSITF

Emmanuel Ulayi,Phd

When Barr. Oluwaseun Faleye assumed leadership of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) as the Managing Director/CEO on July 16, 2024, the agency was at a crossroads. Burdened by backlogs, low public awareness, and manual processes, the agency tasked with providing social security for Nigerian workers struggled to meet the expectations of a growing workforce. Two years later, the metrics tell a different story. The Fund is processing faster, registering more employers, paying more beneficiaries, and aligning directly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Two years after, the narrative has shifted. From faster compensation for injured workers to digital platforms and regional partnerships, NSITF is repositioning itself as a central pillar of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The core mandate of NSITF is simple: Ensure that no Nigerian worker is left destitute after a workplace injury, disability, or death. In the last 24 months, that mandate has been given new urgency. Barr. Faleye’s administration prioritized clearing the backlog of claims. New standard operating procedures have been introduced to fast-track verification and payment to beneficiaries. The goal, he has said repeatedly, is “dignity in times of distress.”

Beyond compensation, the Fund has expanded sensitization across formal and informal sectors. Employers are being brought into compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Act, while workers are being educated on their rights to social protection. For many families who previously had no safety net, the Fund has become the difference between hardship and stability.

The Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda places emphasis on job creation, poverty reduction, and inclusive growth. NSITF’s reforms are being deliberately framed within that vision. “Social security is not welfare. It is an investment in productivity,” a senior management official noted. “When workers know they are protected, employers comply more, and the economy becomes more stable.”

Under Faleye, NSITF has aligned its programmes with federal priorities: expanding coverage to more Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), supporting vulnerable workers, and ensuring that social protection contributes directly to national development goals. Indeed, the scheme has expanded significantly, enrolling over 7.8 million employees into the ECS. Recently, it enrolled in the Nigeria police Force. As at today, the NSITF has disbursed over  billion naira in compensation to affected workers and dependents across various sectors, including oil and gas, banking, and the Civil Service.

Most importantly, the NSITF has extended its Employee Compensation Scheme (ECS) to cover the informal sector, providing a social safety net for millions of artisans, traders, and gig workers. The scheme aims to bridge the gap between the formal and informal economies, bringing millions of unprotected Nigerian workers into a secure social safety net. Falaye has conducted nationwide campaigns across the geopolitical zones, engaging with trade groups and unions, such as Keke riders and market women. The Fund is actively collaborating with tech platforms (e.g., ride-hailing services) to ensure independent collaborators can also participate in the social security scheme.

Perhaps the most visible transformation has been in technology. Two years ago, many NSITF processes were still paper-based, leading to delays and opacity. The Fund has now rolled out digital platforms for employer registration, contribution remittance, and claims processing. The e-NSITF portal and upgraded database have cut processing times and improved transparency. Workers and employers can track claims status in real time, a move that has boosted trust in the system.

Digitalisation has also helped NSITF expand its reach beyond Abuja and Lagos, bringing social insurance closer to workers in state offices across the country.

Organizationally, Barr. Faleye initiated a wide-ranging reorganization. Redundant units were streamlined, job roles were clarified, and performance metrics were introduced.

Equally important has been the focus on staff welfare. Training programmes, career development workshops, and improved communication channels have been introduced to raise morale. “An agency that protects workers must first take care of its own people,” Faleye told staff at a meeting. The result is a workforce that is more motivated and more accountable to the public it serves.

In a bid to adopt global best practices, NSITF under Faleye has deepened collaboration with sister agencies in Africa. Partnerships and knowledge-exchange programmes with the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation of The Gambia and the Compensation Fund of South Africa have been undertaken. Recently, a high-level delegation from South Africa’s Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) visited the NSITF culminating in a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on workers' compensation, occupational safety and digital transformation in social insurance.

Similarly, the Board of the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund (IICF) of the Gambia’s Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation 9SSHFC) just concluded a one-week study tour of the operations of the NSITF and the administration of Nigeria’s Employees’ Compensation Scheme. The event provided an avenue for both agencies to share ideas on institutional governance, employment injury compensation, compliance management, claims administration, rehabilitation programmes, research, actuarial planning and digital transformation.

Two years is not enough to fix decades of structural challenges. But within NSITF, there is a clear sense that the foundation has been laid.  Barr. Faleye’s tenure so far has been defined by three words staff and stakeholders keep using: access, speed, and transparency. More workers are being covered. Claims are being paid faster. And the agency is becoming more visible, both to employers and to the government it serves.

As Nigeria pushes to build a more resilient labour force under the Renewed Hope Agenda, NSITF’s transformation offers a case study in what focused leadership can do: take a statutory mandate and turn it into real protection for real people.

With two years down, NSITF is targeting 100% digital claims by 2026 ending, full integration with state social protection systems, and expanded coverage for informal workers. For Barr. Faleye, the data is more than statistics. “Every number is a worker, a family, a business that now has a safety net,” he said at the 2025 management retreat.

Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, NSITF is no longer just a compensation fund. It is becoming Nigeria’s primary platform for workplace social security.

Ulayi, is of the Corporate Communications and Strategy Department of the NSITF

NSITF presents 78 beneficiaries with prostheses

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has presented prostheses for different degrees of injuries to 78 beneficiaries in continuation of its Prosthesis Provision Exercise.

Managing Director, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, at the formal presentation of the final report on the current phase of the exercise in Abuja, said “the cooperation and commitment demonstrated by the prosthesis providers, beneficiaries, employers, and the monitoring team greatly contributed to the successful completion of this intervention.

“The providers also demonstrated flexibility by accommodating special clinical needs, including the provision of a hip disarticulation prosthesis where necessary”.

Represented by the Executive Director (Operations), Mojisola Alli Macaulay, the MD explained that following the commencement of the prosthesis provision exercise in April 2026, the Claims & Compensation Department of NSITF monitored the implementation of the programme from inception through to its successful completion.

In his words, “Sequel to the interim report submitted previously, I am pleased to report that the prosthesis provision exercise has now been successfully concluded. All identified beneficiaries under the approved programme have been assessed, fitted with the appropriate prostheses, trained on their use, and discharged after satisfactory evaluation.”

According to him, “Where beneficiaries could not participate due to reasons such as inability to establish contact, refusal to attend after notification, or death, they were replaced from the supplementary list to ensure the successful completion of the exercise”.

The various categories of prostheses successfully provided include: Above-knee prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 8, all 8 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged; Hip Disarticulation Prosthesis: Total beneficiary 1 (provided for a beneficiary whose assessment indicated a hip disarticulation rather than an above-knee amputation), 1 beneficiary satisfactorily discharged

Below knee prosthesis:  Total beneficiaries 11 (All 11 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Below elbow prosthesis:  Total beneficiaries 12 (All 12 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged); Above elbow prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 5 (All 5 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Trans-humeral prosthesis: Total beneficiary 1 (1 beneficiary satisfactorily discharged).

Silicon partial hand prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 40 (All 40 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Total beneficiaries scheduled for prosthesis provision 78, Total beneficiaries duly discharged 78.

Also speaking at the event, the General Manager (Claims and Compensation), Nkiru Ede-Ogunnaike, noted that throughout the exercise, beneficiaries underwent assessment, measurement, prosthetic fabrication, fitting, gait and functional training, evaluation, and final discharge.

“The prostheses were successfully fitted, and beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the services rendered. Discharge letters stating completion and warranty with the beneficiaries' satisfaction forms have been duly completed and filed in their respective dossiers.

“In conclusion, the prosthesis provision programme achieved its intended objectives and has been completed successfully. The exercise has significantly improved the mobility, functionality, and quality of life of the beneficiaries while fulfilling the Fund's mandate of providing appropriate rehabilitation support to eligible employees who sustained work-related disabilities".

Speaking on behalf of all the beneficiaries, Solomon Sunday, a staff of Zodoson Industries in Abia State, praised NSITF for giving them their lives back.

He stated that most of them were depressed and frustrated with life after their accident before NSITF came into the scene to redeem their lives with prostheses which have given them  the opportunity to live normal once again.

In his words:" we are deeply grateful to the fund and appreciate NSITF for all they have done for us and have been doing, you can see how excited and happy l am as a young man who can look forward to a bright future and the fund has given me opportunity to acquire new skill to earn a living.  Honestly, we are deeply grateful and thank God for using NSITF to change our stories."

NSITF assures Gambia of technical support, stronger partnership

...As study tour ends in Abuja

Barrister Faleye, MD/CE NSITF (l), with Mr. Lamine Camara of The Gambia 

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has promised to provide technical support while continuing to share knowledge with the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund (IICF), Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) of the Gambia in advancing social protection and workers' welfare in the West African sub-region.

Managing Director/CE of NSITF, Barr. Oluwaseun Faleye, gave the assurance at the closing ceremony of the one-week study tour by the Board of the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund (IICF), Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) of the Gambia to the Fund.

(l-r), Mr. Lamine Camara of The Gambia, Barrister Samaila Abdu, Executive Director Administration NSITF, and Hon. Mojisola Ali-Macauley, Executive Director Operations NSITF 

He said the “NSITF will continue to support the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund under the SSHFC by sharing technical knowledge, exchanging experiences and providing guidance wherever we can.

“We see this as a partnership between brothers, working together towards the common goal of strengthening social protection and advancing the welfare of workers across our sub-region”.

Faleye, who was represented by the Executive Director (Administration), Barr. Samaila Abdu, said, “I therefore wish to assure you that this relationship does not end with today's closing ceremony. Rather, it marks the beginning of an even stronger partnership between our two institutions.

(L-r), Barrister Faleye, Mr. Lamine Camara, and Dr. Dayo Alao 

“As you return home, please convey our warm regards to the Managing Director, the Board, Management and the entire Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation of The Gambia."

The NSITF boss expressed his appreciation of the visiting Gambia team  saying, “Your decision to understudy our institution is both an honour and a demonstration of the growing spirit of collaboration among social security institutions within our sub-region. We are grateful for the openness, professionalism and mutual respect that have defined our engagements throughout the week.” 

Dr. Emmanuel Ulayi of Corporate Affairs Unit of NSITF, (l), with a delegate from The Gambia 

“Over the course of this engagement, we have shared experiences, exchanged ideas and explored practical approaches to strengthening the administration of employment injury compensation and social security,” he continued, adding that “beyond the presentations and technical sessions, what has been most rewarding has been the quality of our interactions. We have engaged in frank discussions, asked important questions and learned from one another. That, indeed, is the true value of a study visit”.

Speaking further on the collaboration by the two agencies, the NSITF helmsman stated that “We are particularly delighted by your invitation for NSITF to visit The Gambia and witness first-hand how some of the lessons from this engagement will be adapted and domesticated within your institution. We deeply appreciate that invitation and will certainly give it due consideration.

“As an institution, we readily acknowledge that we are still strengthening and expanding our own social security implementation. Like every progressive institution, we continue to learn, innovate, and improve. However, we remain committed to sharing our experiences and best practices in areas where we have made meaningful progress”.

Giving a summary of what transpired during the tour, the Managing Director said, “We began by examining the evolution of social security administration in Nigeria, tracing the journey from the National Provident Fund through the NSITF and ultimately to the Employees' Compensation Scheme established under the Employees' Compensation Act, 2010.

“We also had the opportunity to exchange views on institutional governance, policy evolution and the future direction of social security within our respective countries.

“We examined the operational backbone of the Scheme, employer registration, compliance management and contribution assessment. Discussions centred on the legal obligations of employers, our compliance strategies, assessment methodologies and the role of technology in enhancing transparency and accountability.

“The interactive exchanges demonstrated our shared commitment to improving compliance while expanding coverage, particularly within underserved sectors of the economy.

“We explored claims administration, compensation delivery, rehabilitation and return-to-work programmes. Beyond the statutory obligation to compensate injured workers, we highlighted the importance of restoring dignity through medical rehabilitation, vocational training and economic reintegration.

“Our discussions also focused on research, evidence-based policy formulation, actuarial planning and the role of digital transformation in modern social security administration,” he highlited, adding that “the demonstration of the Employees Compensation Scheme Application (ECSA) illustrated how technology is enhancing efficiency, improving compliance and strengthening service delivery within the Fund. More importantly, our discussions on future cooperation reaffirmed our collective resolve to sustain this partnership beyond the confines of this study visit.”

Faleye maintained that together, the two social security agencies have reaffirmed that effective social security administration is not a destination but a continuous journey of learning, innovation and improvement.

“Perhaps the most important outcome of this engagement is our shared commitment to continue working together. The invitation extended to NSITF to visit The Gambia and witness your own reform journey is one we sincerely appreciate, he summed.

In his response, the leader of the Gambian delegation, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Employment, Lamine Camara, expressed appreciation for the opportunity, expressing the desire to improve on their operations.

“We are very pleased and not happy that this tour is coming to an end. We want to take this collaboration further in every area of social security. We are also looking at improving capacity from this collaboration.

“We are eager to learn from the NSITF experience. We also want to improve the areas of research we are behind in that area, and this will help improve us, and our experience can also be of great benefit to Nigeria. We also use this opportunity to invite NSITF to visit us in the Gambia, and we are very happy,” he stated.

When the Budget Is No Longer a Fiscal Control

 By Kareem Abdulrasaq

In February this year, the Senate Committee on Appropriations summoned the federal government's economic team and delivered a blunt verdict: the revenue assumptions behind the proposed ₦58.47 trillion 2026 budget were unrealistic, oil projections were not credible, and capital implementation in recent years had been so poor that lawmakers openly asked whether the budget should be cut. The committee chairman pointed to oil revenue performance of 18 per cent in one recent year and asked how anyone could project 36.5 per cent the next. Weeks later, the same National Assembly passed the budget not reduced, but enlarged by more than ₦9trillion, to ₦68.32 trillion, the largest appropriation in Nigeria's history. A parliament that declares a budget too optimistic and responds by making it bigger is telling us something important: the annual budget has stopped functioning as an instrument of fiscal control. It survives as a ritual,va bargaining table, and a signalling document. But the thing a budget exists to do bind the state to a credible plan for raising and spending public money is no longer happening.

What a budget is for

An appropriation act is supposed to performtwo functions at once. It authorises spending, and it limits it. The ceiling is the point. When the ceiling moves whenever it is inconvenient, when revenue targets are set with no serious expectation of being met, and when money is spent outside the document entirely, the budget becomes what accountants would call a memorandum item: recorded, gazetted, ceremonially signed and not binding on anyone.

Consider the evidence from just the current cycle. The revenue numbers are fiction, and everyone involved knows it. The federal government itself admitted realising only about ₦10 trillion of the ₦40 trillion revenue it targeted for 2025, a performance rate of roughly 25 per cent. The head of the Nigeria Revenue Service put it plainly to

senators: if you think you have ten naira and plan with a hundred in mind, you create problems for yourself. Yet the 2026 framework projects ₦36.87 trillion in revenue against ₦68.32 trillion in

expenditure, a deficit larger than the entire realised revenue of last year. When the projections failed to add up, the borrowing plan was quietly raised mid-course from₦17.89 trillion to ₦29.20

trillion. A budget whose financing plan can expand by ₦11 trillion after passage is not controlling anything; it is chasing events.

The ceiling floats upward on contact. The ₦9 trillion added between proposal and passage was framed as accommodating "legacy commitments." Some of it genuinely regularises unpaid obligations to contractors, itself an indictment of earlier budgets. But the enlargement also

carried the familiar cargo of constituency insertions. Only this week, the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children's Education publicly distanced itself from projects in its own budget, explaining that they were National Assembly constituency projects assigned to it for

implementation, these projects it neither conceived nor considers within its mandate. When an agency created to tackle the out-of-school children crisis is statutorily obliged to execute unrelated projects nominated by lawmakers, appropriation has been inverted: the legislature is no longer scrutinizing the executive's spending plan; it is writing its own spending into other

people's mandates.

The fiscal year has dissolved. As of early 2026, the government was simultaneously paying for 2024 capital projects, implementing the 2025 capital budget (its deadline extended first to March, then to June 2026), and commencing the 2026 budget. Three appropriation acts running

concurrently means no single one of them describes what the state is actually doing with money at any moment. The government's promised "fiscal reset" ending overlapping budgets and chronic rollovers was the right diagnosis. The extension of the 2025 capital deadline into the middle of 2026 shows how quickly the cure was postponed.

The accountability loop never closes. Control is not only about what is approved; it is about consequences when approval is ignored. Ministries record zero releases against approved allocations, capital performance disappoints year after year, and the Auditor-General's findings

arrive late and are acted upon rarely. Nobody is sanctioned when an appropriation is not implemented; nobody is sanctioned when spending occurs outside it. A rule without consequences is advice.

Why citizens should care

This may sound like an argument for technicians. It is not. When the budget stops binding, the costs land on ordinary Nigerians through three channels. First, deficits that were never honestly planned get financed anyway, through debt whose servicing already consumes ₦15.81 trillion in

2026, more than the allocations to health and education combined, on a public debt stock that closed 2025 at about ₦159 trillion. Every naira of debt service is a naira pre-committed before a single teacher is paid. Second, unrealistic budgets guarantee arbitrary implementation. When only a fraction of projected revenue arrives, someone in the executive decides outside any appropriation debate which projects get funded and which get abandoned. The published budget promised everything; the cash office quietly chooses. That discretion is where influence, not need, determines outcomes, and it is the poorest constituencies, with the least voice, whose projects die first. Third, credibility compounds. Citizens asked to accept new taxes and tariff adjustments are entitled to ask what happened to the last trillions. A decade of budgets with no visible

connection between allocation and lived improvement has drained the social contract. Fiscal reform that raises revenue into a broken control systems imply feeds the leak.

Restoring the ceiling

The remedies are not mysterious, and civic organisations in Nigeria have pressed most of them: anchor budgets on independently stress-tested revenue baselines, with published sensitivity analyses for oil price, production and exchange-rate assumptions; hold mandatory mid-year reviews that adjust spending to actual revenue, in public, rather than letting the cash office ration in private. To these I would add four harder edges.

Cap in-year expansion. 

Any increase of the appropriation beyond a small threshold should require a supplementary budget with the same scrutiny as the original, not an accommodation folded into passage.

Publish constituency projects as data: sponsor, location, cost, implementing agency, and completion status, in machine-readable form. Insertion thrives in opacity; sunlight is cheap.

End the rollover economy with a genuine hard stop. Unspent capital should lapse and re-compete in the next budget, forcing realistic annual plans instead of a perpetual backlog that no one can audit.

Give budget failure a consequence. Accounting officers of MDAs with chronic non- implementation, and of agencies executing outside mandate, should answer publicly and the Auditor-General's reports should trigger time-bound responses enforced by the Public Accounts Committees.

None of this requires new theory. It requires the National Assembly to remember that its power of the purse is a duty of restraint, not a licence for insertion; and the executive to accept that a smaller budget that binds is worth more than a record budget that does not.

Nigeria has crossed ₦68 trillion on paper. The real milestone worth chasing is more modest and far rarer: a budget the government intends to keep. Until then, we should stop calling the annual document a fiscal plan. A budget that cannot say no to lawmakers, to ministries, to its own

assumptions is not a control. It is a wish list with a gazette number.

Kareem Abdulrasaq is a socioeconomic researcher based in Abuja, Nigeria. He writes on public finance, poverty, and development policy. He is an Agora Policy Writing Fellow (Cohort II) and a PhD candidate in Political Science (Political Economy and Development Studies) at Nasarawa State University.