Taraba State Initiates Payment of N5 Billion in Pension Benefits Through Enrollment in Electronic Clearance System

Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State is set to enforce workers' insurance compliance in all contracts following a visit from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, during which the state's government revealed it had paid out N5 billion to pensioners.

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The visit, led by NSITF's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oluwaseun Faleye, aimed to deepen institutional collaboration and expand the implementation of the Employees' Compensation Scheme, ECS, in the state.

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Faleye's meeting with Governor Kefas at the Government House in Jalingo was part of a broader strategy to build partnerships with state governments committed to protecting workers and strengthening institutional sustainability.

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The NSITF Managing Director emphasized that the Employees' Compensation Scheme is a critical social protection instrument that guarantees dignity for workers and stability for employers, going beyond mere statutory obligation.

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According to Faleye, the response of government to workers' injuries, disabilities, or deaths in the course of duty defines public trust and reinforces confidence in leadership, highlighting the importance of expanding ECS coverage.

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Faleye proposed concrete steps to translate dialogue into outcomes, including expanding ECS compliance across state Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, and intensifying sensitization of major employers and contractors operating in the state.

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The NSITF boss also recommended integrating the ECS Compliance Certificate into Taraba's public procurement and contracting processes to institutionalize compliance.

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This move would require evidence of NSITF compliance for contract bidding, pre-qualification, contractor registration, and renewal, as well as public-private partnerships, to ensure companies benefiting from public funds protect their workers.

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Faleye further proposed establishing a joint technical interface between the state government and the Fund to develop a short implementation roadmap, leveraging NSITF's internal Strategic Inter-Agency Coordination framework to track timelines and deliverables.

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In a symbolic development, Faleye confirmed Governor Kefas as Ambassador for the Advocacy of ECS in Taraba State and the Northeast region, solidifying the partnership between the state and NSITF.

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Responding to the proposal, Governor Kefas assured that the state would fully adopt the ECS scheme for the benefit of workers, disclosing that Taraba had recently paid N5 billion to pensioners.

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The governor expressed optimism that the state would clear all outstanding pension liabilities by the end of the year and pledged to partner with NSITF to ensure all workers are enrolled in the scheme.

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He committed to fulfilling all obligations under the scheme in line with his administration's commitment to workers' welfare and immediately set up a high-powered committee to interface with NSITF and ensure full ECS compliance across the state.