Arewa Group Urges Tinubu to Shake Up NSITF Leadership to Protect Workers’ Billions and Ensure Transparency

The presidency has been handed a fresh mandate for institutional reform as a prominent Northern advocacy group, the Arewa Revival Project (ARP), demanded an immediate and “comprehensive review” of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

In a strongly worded statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, the group’s coordinator, Muttaka Ibrahim, warned that the “Renewed Hope” agenda’s success in the labor sector depends on the transparency of agencies tasked with protecting workers’ welfare. Ibrahim stressed that Nigerian contributors deserve “absolute reassurance” that their hard-earned funds are being managed with the highest level of integrity.

“Nigerian workers and contributors to the NSITF deserve protection and the certainty that their funds are managed in line with the law,” Ibrahim stated. “Decisive action by President Tinubu to review the leadership and operational framework of the fund will go a long way in restoring public confidence in our social insurance systems.”

While the current management, led by Barrister Oluwaṣeun Faleye, has been active in promoting safe workplace initiatives across the country’s six geopolitical zones, the Arewa Revival Project argues that “operational exigencies” and the vast scale of the fund require a more rigorous transparency audit. The group is pushing for a system where contributors can track the utilization of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme in real-time.

The demand for a leadership review is being viewed by political analysts as a strategic move to ensure that the NSITF remains insulated from the “efficiency gaps” that have plagued previous administrations. By calling on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other unions to join the advocacy, ARP is positioning the NSITF as a litmus test for the President’s commitment to “firm political commitment and institutional capacity building.”

As the 2026 fiscal year accelerates, the pressure is now on the Federal Ministry of Labour and the Presidency to demonstrate that the billions of naira sitting in the NSITF vaults are not just safe, but are working actively for the benefit of the Nigerian workforce.