By: Foday N Samura
The National Social Security and Insurance Trust- NASSIT on Wednesday 25th March 2020 paid over Seven Hundred and Ninety Two Government Pensioners across the country in the midst of strict adherence to Government Regulations on public gathering.
The payment of Government pension is one of the functions NASSIT inherited from the Government of Sierra Leone in 2004. Every month hundreds of Government Pensioners stream into NASSIT offices across the country to collect their monthly pension. What was peculiar about this month’s payment is the fact that, it attracted a high number of pensioners across the country.
This, coupled with the Government restriction on public gathering of not more than one hundred people, would have been a major challenge. In his wisdom, the Director General Mohamed Fuaad Daboh constituted a special Covid- 19 committee to handle emergencies springing from the Corona pandemic devastating the world. The Committee immediate sprang into action to ensure adherence to the Presidential declaration. Covid -19 messages were designed into jingles, flyers and kinetic that was broadcast on radio and television stations across the country and on all NASSIT Social Media platforms
The team visited all NASSIT offices across the country with designed message on covid-19 and instruction as to how staff should conduct them during this period. Canopies and additional chairs were hired to expand the paying environment to accommodate one hundred Pensioners, whilst at the same maintaining a social distance. A special ticketing system was also developed to segment the crowd into batches of one hundred each.
The striking part was on the D -Day when Deputy Director General, Mohammed Gondoe marshalled a team of General Managers, the Trust’s most senior officers to the Regional Offices West to enforce compliance to the operational restrictions.
The team was at the regional office West at 7:00am and within 15 minutes the stage was set to commence pension payment across the county. The Director General later joined the team to observe implementation of the covid-19 protocols.
He expressed satisfaction over the collaboration among his staff particularly the selflessness displayed by his senior officers to monitor enforcement of the operational protocols.
” I am more than satisfied with the preparation we have made and your level of commitment to seeing that we provide service to our esteemed customers. “You have made me proud” he concluded. A pensioner Thomas Wilson lauded the organization, timelines and orderliness of the process.
He recommended that such protocols be continued even after the restrictions would have been lifted.
“NASSIT you really care, he exclaimed.”
