Prior to the inception of the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010 (“ECA”), the workers’ compensation system in Nigeria was governed by the Workmen's Compensation Act 1987 (Cap W6 LFN 2004) (“WCA”). The WCA failed to provide an adequate compensation regime for employees, notwithstanding the fact that payment of compensation stems from the employer's duty of care to the employee. Though an employer may be liable for injury, whether physical or mental, sustained by an employee, the WCA, among other things, had no provision for mental stress claims. Neither was the mental health of employees contemplated under its regime. The ECA has sought to close this gap by the provisions of its section 8. Using a comparative perspective, this article examines the dynamics as well as the challenges of applying section 8 of the ECA in the overall interest of the legal system and the labour environment.
Introduction
health insurance is in the fore front of health financing and achievement of universal health coverage for all. It provides a means of coping with some of the risks faced by individuals in achieving optimal healthcare. Women are vital in the family especially when it comes to the health of their children. We therefore set out in this study to assess the healthcare payment method of women in the informal sector and their awareness of the National health insurance scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria.
Methods
the study was a cross sectional descriptive survey involving women traders who were aged 18 years and above. Three hundred and fifty-three (353) womens were recruited using semi-structured interviewer questionnaire and data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.
Results
the prevalence of awareness of NHIS among the women was 57.5% and educational status was contributor to awareness of the scheme. Also, only 9.9% of the women were registered under the NHIS and out of pocket payment for healthcare was practiced by as much as 88.7% of the respondents. Most respondents had poor perception about the scheme with 60% believing that the government cannot be trusted to keep its end of the bargain with regards to the NHIS.
Conclusion
the need for awareness of the NHIS especially in the informal sector for women is brought to fore. The policy -makers should take into account how women in informal sectors should be captured to enrol in the NHIS in order to expand its coverage and this enrolment should be compulsory.
The rule of law embodies two basic metaphors: the tool and the causeway. Under the tool metaphor, the rule of law is applied more as an instrument of power, while in the causeway metaphor, the law emphasizes a form of relationship between state and society where “ground rules” are established, not just for electoral politics but for the daily transactions and commercial necessities of individuals. The choice between these two metaphors has always been crucial for the legal and political development of democratic states. This article argues that in many African states, the rule of law is presently used as a tool, and contends that if this superficial perception is discarded, in favour of concentrating instead on the more expansive causeway metaphor, the continent will stand the chance of building more modern democratic states that can compare favourably with other consolidated democracies across the globe.
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