The Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, has reaffirmed the Fund’s resolve to collaborate with employers in promoting occupational safety and preserving the dignity of workers across Nigeria.
Faleye made the pledge on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2025 NSITF–Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) Awards and Interactive Enlightenment Fora, themed “Together We Can Create a Safe Workplace.”
He explained that the event marked the conclusion of the 2025 SWIP programme, which was implemented across Lagos, Enugu and Abuja, describing it as more than an initiative but a nationwide movement driving innovation, resilience and stronger commitment to workplace safety.
According to Faleye, SWIP reflects Nigeria’s evolving approach to occupational safety—shifting from responding to workplace accidents to preventing them through structured systems, strategic planning and a proactive safety culture.
He noted that the project had helped reposition safety as a core organisational value rather than a regulatory obligation, embedding it into everyday business operations.
Faleye said the initiative demonstrated that worker protection and business profitability could go hand in hand, stressing that NSITF was moving from a compensation-focused model to one centred on prevention in order to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.
He added that continuous training, awareness and knowledge-sharing were essential in translating safety policies into real-life practice, urging organisations recognised at the event to serve as safety champions within their industries.
In his remarks, the President of NECA, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, said workplace safety had become a strategic business priority critical to productivity, sustainability and national economic development.
Okoye noted that safe work environments help protect human capital, reduce compensation-related risks and support long-term business growth, adding that the SWIP programme reinforced the principle that prevention remains more effective than compensation.
He said the initiative had also strengthened compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010, while encouraging organisations to adopt preventive safety cultures.
Okoye commended the leadership of NSITF for its dedication to worker protection and successful public-private collaboration, while congratulating employers honoured for outstanding safety practices and urging others to follow their example.