By Joan Nwagwu
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) have urged stakeholders to sustain efforts toward promoting safe and healthy workplaces nationwide.
The call was made on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2025 NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) Awards and Interactive Enlightenment Fora.
The 2025 SWIP programme was themed: “Together We Can Create a Safe Workplace.”
NECA President, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, said workplace safety had become a strategic business imperative critical to productivity, sustainability and national economic growth.
“Workplace safety is no longer just a regulatory obligation; it is a strategic business necessity that protects human capital and enhances productivity.
“Safe workplaces reduce compensation exposure, support business sustainability and contribute significantly to national economic growth.
“Through SWIP, we continue to reinforce the principle that prevention is better than compensation, and safety must be embedded in organisational culture,” he said.
Okoye said that the SWIP initiative had strengthened awareness and compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010, while fostering a culture of prevention.
He commended the NSITF leadership for its commitment to worker protection and effective public-private collaboration.
Okoye also congratulated employers recognised for exemplary safety practices, urging others to emulate them to ensure safer workplaces across Nigeria.
Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, Managing Director of NSITF, said the ceremony marked the conclusion of the 2025 SWIP journey, which spanned Lagos, Enugu and Abuja.
He described the initiative as a national movement celebrating resilience, innovation and the growing commitment of Nigerian organisations to workplace safety.
According to him, SWIP symbolised Nigeria’s transition from reacting to workplace accidents to preventing them through systems, planning and proactive safety culture.
“This journey reflects Nigeria’s gradual shift from reacting to workplace accidents to preventing them through structured systems, foresight and a shared commitment to safety.
“SWIP represents the homecoming of safety, not merely as a regulation, but as a national culture that protects workers and strengthens institutions.
“We are building a Nigeria where accidents are prevented, not managed, and where safety is embedded across boardrooms, factories and worksites,” he said.
Faleye said the project had shifted workplace safety from a narrow compliance requirement to an organisational value embedded in daily operations.
He noted that organisations honoured recognised human capital as their most valuable asset, deserving protection, dignity and sustained investment.
The NSITF boss said that SWIP bridged the gap between regulation and enterprise, proving that safety and profitability could coexist.
He said NSITF was repositioning from reactive compensation to proactive prevention to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.
Faleye emphasised that knowledge, training and continuous awareness were critical to transforming safety from policy into practice.
He urged award recipients to serve as safety ambassadors and role models across their respective sectors.
Faleye said NSITF was committed to partnering businesses to strengthen occupational safety and uphold the dignity of Nigerian workers nationwide.
Some of the awardees, including Nestle Nigeria Plc., Spring Water Nigeria Ltd., and other organisations received ambulances and other safety equipment for outstanding compliance to safety innovation.
Some of the awardees, including Nestle Nigeria Plc., Spring Water Nigeria Ltd., and other organisations received ambulances and other safety equipment for outstanding compliance to safety innovation.