NSITF rejects allegations of managerial crisis

...Says staff exit voluntary, part of restructuring 

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has condemned the allegations of managerial crisis and mass resignation of workers being peddled in some media outlets.

In a statement issued by Alexandra  Mede, Head of Corporate Affairs, the NSITF described the story published by Sahara Reporters as a deliberate misrepresentation of facts and lacking in merit.

The statement read: "The Management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) wishes to categorically reject the allegations recently circulated by a coalition of civil society organisations, which rely on a Sahara Reporters publication dated June 4, 2026, as their primary basis. 

"The NSITF considers both the publication and the demands arising from it to be without merit, and rooted in a deliberate misrepresentation of facts", she stated.

On the Allegation of Mass Resignations and Staff Intimidation, she said "There has been no mass resignation at the NSITF, and there is no managerial crisis within the organisation. What occurred was a structured Voluntary Retirement Exercise (VRE), formally advertised on March 3, 2026, and open to confirmed staff in designated senior cadres — Senior Manager, Principal Manager, Assistant General Manager, Deputy General Manager, and VGeneral Manager.

"The VRE was a deliberate institutional reform initiative, informed by recommendations from a credible, independent staff audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). It offered participating staff voluntary exits with full financial benefits attached. 

"The exercise was subsequently extended following approval by the Management Board at its 83rd meeting on April 28, 2026. Every exit recorded was voluntary, incentivised, and processed in strict accordance with the terms of the exercise, extant Public Service Rules and applicable labour laws.

"To characterize this structured, transparent exercise as "hundreds of staff resigning amid intimidation" is factually incorrect and constitutes irresponsible journalism.

"Management finds it equally troubling that civil society organisations, whose mandate is the pursuit of truth and accountability, would lend their platforms to what amounts to an unsubstantiated smear campaign against a Federal Government institution. 

"The NSITF maintains established channels for staff grievances through its Human Resource Management Department, and no credible complaints of victimisation or administrative high-handedness have been substantiated.

"On the Allegations of Financial Misconduct, the NSITF noted that the coalition itself acknowledges the financial allegations it cites —including claims regarding multiple bank accounts and a purported N297 billion scandal —remain unproven and subject to investigation. Management finds it deeply concerning that 

unverified claims are being weaponised to demand the removal of principal officers of a federal institution. 

"The NSITF operates under statutory oversight frameworks and remains fully accountable to the relevant supervisory authorities. Management welcomes any lawful, evidence based inquiry and has nothing to conceal.

On the demand for removal of the Managing Director/Chief Executive and the Board Chairman, the statement maintained that the coalition’s calls “are not grounded in established fact. Under the leadership of Barr. Oluwaseun Faleye, the Fund has recorded measurable improvements across every sphere of service delivery, including expanded coverage and enhanced operational efficiency. 

"These outcomes are wholly inconsistent with the portrait of institutional dysfunction being advanced by the coalition.

Management respectfully urges the relevant authorities and the Nigerian public to assess these allegations against the available evidence before drawing conclusions. In the same spirit of accountability the coalition invokes, Management also calls on the appropriate regulatory bodies to strengthen oversight of civil society organisations to ensure that their activities remain anchored in verified facts and the public interest.

"The NSITF reaffirms its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the welfare of Nigerian workers — the very values it was established to uphold. Management will continue to engage stakeholders openly and responsibly, and calls on all parties to prioritize factual 

accuracy in public discourse concerning a federal institution of this importance,” the statement summed.

Data Science Platform workers, gig economy in our plans --NSITF MD Faleye

Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Barr. Oluwaseun Faleye, has said issues around the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially as regards platform workers and the gig economy, are being given priority attention by the Fund.

Faleye stated this while fielding questions in response to the presentation of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, at the General Assembly of the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Minister had, in his presentation, called for inclusive and human-centred artificial intelligence (AI) policies that protect jobs and workers' rights while harnessing the transformative potential of technology to drive economic growth and decent work.

Commending the minister’s presentation in an interview, Barr. Faleye said, “I think it's a very robust response, particularly as it deals with emerging issues in the place of work generally. You will recall that some of the key issues that we've been dealing with within the labour ecosystem have been the treatment of platform workers, the gig economy, and, of course, the impact of AI on labour and workers generally.

“It's important that we recognise that AI is here to stay, and the more governments and institutions like ours understand the implications of AI on workers, on the role of workers and the workplace, the more it is that we're able to, of course, engage on relevant solutions to it, and I'm glad that the Minister touched on that.

“But importantly, it's also to look at the treatment of platform workers and the gig economy to understand how to better provide and provide support and provide what is required to assimilate them”.

Speaking further, the Managing Director noted that “You know that traditionally, labour has been defined within the context of formal workplace economy, but recent innovations now entails people working from home, people working on platforms like Uber and Bolt, etc, and then there's a need to now define appropriate was to measure their role and their impact, and for us at NSITF to begin to understand how best to situate our mandate within those new work realities, and I'm glad that the foremost ministry responsible for driving and articulating policies within our labour ecosystem is at the forefront of that”, he explained.

Speaking on plans to engage workers generally classified as independent contractors rather than formal employees, the MD disclosed that “I think the core engagement is really dimensioning what is termed as a workplace within those platform workers' ecosystem. It is also to fashion out our best to engage in terms of their contributions, and of course, to articulate our best to also provide compensation for them in place of workplace injury. You know, for us, we're grappling with the idea of, within our system, when does injury occur, and where is the workplace for those platform workers?

“Particularly, if you understand those who are working from home, at what point can we better understand when an injury occurs and whether that injury is in relation to work or something else?

“I think sitting down with the relevant stakeholders to discuss this, which this conference provides, is the right step in the right direction, and we're really glad to be part of that discussion,” he stated.

Faleye commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, saying, “we cannot be left behind in innovations, the digital innovations that are driving business activities and are driving the workplace worldwide,

“You will see, like the Minister said, we have infused that into our Public Service recently. The Civil Service is now much more embedded with AI, using AI to really provide services going forward, and I'm sure they will get better with it,” he said.

Platform workers provide paid labour services through digital applications such as delivery apps and online freelance market places.