The grand finale of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund NSITF and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association NECA safe Workplace Intervention Project SWIP Annual Interactive Enlightenment Fora and Awards Presentation Ceremonies was held in Abuja.
SWIP, is a partnership between the NSITF and NECA aimed that promoting the culture of safe, healthy and productive workplace while deepening awareness and compliance with the Empoyees’ Compensation Act ECA 2010.
At the event, thirty-two organisations received various categories of awards for imbibing healthy safety practices in their workplaces.
Addressing the gathering, the Managing Director NSITF, Mr Oluwaseun Falaye, emphasized the importance of safety, saying that the issue is now a human right issue recognized by the International Labour Organisation ILO.
He called for a nationwide shift from mere workplace safety compliance to the entrenchment of a sustainable safety culture across Nigerian industries.
His address tittled “homecoming of safety, from compliance to culture”, Faleye said the Abuja event represents a homecoming after a 12-day nationwide SWIP journey that began at the NSITF headquarters and passed through key industrial centres including Lagos and Enugu.
According to him, “the initiative symbolises Nigeria’s transition from reacting to workplace accidents to proactively preventing them, while recognising organisations that have prioritised worker protection as a core business value.
“A safe workplace is an efficient workplace, and a protected worker is a productive worker”, he said.
The NISTF boss also described SWIP as a strategic partnership between the NSITF as regulator and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) as operator.
Falaye highlighted a policy shift within the agency from what he described as “reactive compensation to proactive prevention”, stressing that preventing accidents is far more beneficial than paying compensation after harm has occurred.
He emphasised that training, information, and consistent safety awareness are key to transforming safety from a checklist into a habit embedded in organisational culture.
Congratulating recipients of the Abuja Mega Awards, Faleye charged them to see the recognition not as an endpoint but as a responsibility to serve as safety ambassadors within their sectors.
Speaking, the President of NECA, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, said that workplace safety is no longer a regulatory obligation alone but a strategic business imperative.
“Safe workplaces enhance productivity, protect human capital, reduce compensation exposure, and ultimately support business sustainability and national economic growth.
“Through SWIP, NECA and NSITF continue to reinforce the message that prevention is better than compensation, and that safety must be embedded in organisational culture.
“Today’s Abuja session is particularly significant. As the convergence point for policy makers, regulators, employers, and social partners, it provides an opportunity to strengthen alignment between policy formulation and practical workplace realities”, he stated.
In her remarks, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting Nigerian workers, saying that workplace safety is a legal obligation and not an option for employers.
The Minister highlighted the economic importance of the North, pointing to high-risk sectors such as mining, construction, manufacturing and agro-processing, and stressed that safety in these workplaces must be treated as a responsibility rather than a choice.
“The government’s priority is prevention, workers should not have to suffer injury or death before action is taken”.
She described SWIP as a practical platform that brings employers, regulators and workers together to identify risks, build capacity and prevent accidents.
She warned employers who disregard occupational safety laws, saying the government would no longer tolerate practices that endanger lives in the name of productivity adding that violators would face sanctions and prosecution, including for manslaughter where negligence leads to death.
Also speaking, the Director General NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said that the ILO in its wisdom, has adopted health and safety issues as a Core Convention of the Organisation rather than a check list item whichis bindingon every member country.
He stressed the importance of employers putting in the necessary infrastructure to guarantee safety in their workplaces.
A major highlight of the programme is the recognition and celebration of employers who have demonstrated commitment to workplace safety and compliance with the provisions of the Employees’ Compensation Act.