By Saminu Ibrahim
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has dismissed allegations published by Sahara Reporters concerning its Electronic Compliance and Safety Application (ECSA), describing the claims as inaccurate and misleading.
The Fund, in a statement on Tuesday and signed by the Head of its Corporate Affairs Department, said the report, published on October 11, relied largely on anonymous sources and misrepresented the ownership, management and operational status of the platform.
NSITF maintained that ECSA was conceived, developed and deployed internally, stressing that the platform remains the Fund’s intellectual property.
It also denied allegations that the application was copied or rebranded from the intellectual property of P2E Technologies Limited.
According to the Fund, ECSA was developed independently of the E-NSITF Project awarded to P2E Technologies on April 25, 2022.
The management explained that the failure of the E-NSITF Project to deliver a functional electronic certification system prompted the Fund to upgrade an existing in-house data harmonisation tool into ECSA.
The Fund further rejected suggestions that an individual had ownership rights over the platform, insisting that no evidence supported such claims.
On the reported shutdown of the system, NSITF said its certification services remained operational and had not been disrupted.
It explained that the directive requiring staff to recapture company records from April 2026 was a planned business-continuity and data-validation measure designed to ensure uninterrupted issuance of compliance certificates.
The management assured employers that they could continue obtaining certificates through designated channels, branch offices and the portal, adding that no eligible employer had been or would be denied certification.
Addressing concerns over data security, the Fund said all employer information captured on ECSA resided on its database infrastructure and remained under its control.
It added that administrative and privileged access to the platform had always been restricted to designated NSITF officers, with the access arrangements recently reviewed.
“Management would like to assure employers, employees and the general public that NO employer data has been lost, copied, transferred or exposed,” the statement said.
The Fund also affirmed its commitment to handling employers’ information in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
On allegations that an officer sought voluntary exit to return as a consultant managing ECSA, NSITF said exit applications were processed in line with public service rules.
It stressed that no arrangement had been made, or would be made, to place any of its digital platforms under the control of an external individual.
The management also rejected claims that the recapture of company records indicated a breakdown in the system, describing the exercise as a precautionary measure to validate data and maintain service delivery during the completion of a handover process.
Under the leadership of its Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mr Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye, the Fund said it had formalised protocols governing ownership, source-code custody, system access and staff exit arrangements for ECSA and other digital platforms.
According to the management, the measures are intended to ensure that the Fund’s digital systems do not depend on any single individual.
NSITF reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and the protection of employers’ and workers’ interests, urging journalists to verify information through its official channels before publication.
The Fund added that it remained open to media enquiries and encouraged stakeholders to seek clarification from its management whenever necessary.
