The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) have intensified efforts to improve workplace safety across the country, warning that negligence, poor awareness, and weak safety cultures continue to expose Nigerian workers to preventable injuries and fatalities.
The renewed push was highlighted on Friday in Abuja during a press briefing ahead of the NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) 2025 interactive forums and award ceremonies. SWIP is a collaborative occupational health and safety initiative aimed at auditing corporate workplaces, improving safety policies, infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and compliance with national and international standards.
In 2025, the initiative audited 200 companies across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Outstanding performers will receive awards, including five ambulances and other safety equipment.
Speaking at the event, NECA Director-General Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde emphasised that workplace safety is a life-and-death matter often treated with dangerous complacency by both employers and employees. He noted that occupational safety and health has recently been elevated by the International Labour Organisation to a core convention binding on all member states.
“Health and safety is no longer optional. It is now a human rights issue. Labour is not a commodity; there are human beings behind every job,” Oyerinde said. “Our commitment, alongside NSITF, led to the commencement of the Safe Workplace Intervention Project many years ago.”
He highlighted emerging challenges such as remote work, artificial intelligence, and home-based accidents, stressing the need to rethink what constitutes a safe workplace. “From employers who see safety investment as a cost to employees who ask, ‘Why must I wear PPE?’—this is a serious issue. When an accident happens, recovery may be partial, but the scars remain. Safety is not just compliance; it is a life issue.”
Oyerinde also pointed out that compliance gaps often stem from lack of knowledge, awareness, and basic infrastructure. “Even something as simple as a chair can become hazardous over time. Awareness is key,” he said. He warned employees that remaining silent in unsafe environments makes them complicit.
The SWIP audit process evaluates policies, behaviour, leadership, emergency preparedness, and implementation. While some organisations have robust plans but no emergency response, others have policies without implementation. “This year, 200 companies across the six zones were audited. Organisations performing exceptionally will be rewarded, including with safety incentives such as ambulances,” Oyerinde added.
NSITF Managing Director/CEO Oluwaseun Faleye described SWIP as a vital tool for driving private-sector compliance with workplace safety and employee compensation laws. “The Employees’ Compensation Act is robust, but the law alone is not enough without stakeholder engagement. Collaboration with NECA has been very effective,” he said.
Faleye added that the 2025 SWIP activities, delayed into early 2026 due to operational exigencies, will officially kick off in Lagos on January 20, followed by Enugu, with a grand finale in Abuja on January 27. He stressed that recognition, awards, and media engagement are critical for reinforcing compliance and raising awareness about the Employee Compensation Scheme.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Salihu Usman, commended NECA and NSITF for sustaining SWIP, describing it as a model of effective collaboration. He noted that the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health Department actively participates as a technical partner to ensure alignment with national standards and global best practices.
“The emphasis on transparency, digitalised audit reporting, capacity building, and structured feedback aligns with our vision for a modern and credible occupational safety and health system,” Usman said. He added that the initiative supports the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010 and reinforces the government’s commitment to worker welfare, productivity, and sustainable development.
Elijah Adeyemi
