As Akume urges board to balance workers’ welfare with fiscal realities
… Bindawa pledges constructive engagement with organised labour
The Federal Government has charged the newly inaugurated Board of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to evolve a fair and sustainable remuneration system that improves workers’ welfare and productivity without undermining the nation’s finances.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, gave the charge on Friday in Abuja while inaugurating the new board, chaired by Major General Junaid Bindawa (rtd).
Akume said the board was coming on stream at a critical period in Nigeria’s economic transformation, as the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu implements reforms aimed at restoring economic stability, strengthening productivity, improving workers’ welfare and laying the foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth.
He said the commission occupies a strategic position because its responsibilities covering salary structures, productivity, job evaluation and compensation have direct implications for workers’ remuneration, industrial harmony and the sustainability of government finances.
In a statement issued by the Head of Press and Public Relations Unit in the office of the SGF, Chris Ugwuegbulam, Akume said “the role of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission is particularly strategic at this time.
“The Commission is entrusted with responsibilities relating to salary structures, productivity, job evaluation and compensation matters that have direct implications for workers’ remuneration, productivity, industrial harmony and the sustainability of government finances”, Akume said.
According to the SGF, the major challenge before the new board is striking an appropriate balance between fair and decent remuneration for workers, increased productivity, affordability and the broader economic realities confronting the country.
He noted that the board was assuming responsibility at a particularly crucial period following the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage framework, which had heightened workers’ expectations while imposing greater responsibilities on government and other employers.
Akume consequently urged the board to ensure that its recommendations on salaries, wages and other compensation matters are evidence-based, transparent, timely, equitable and fiscally responsible.
He said the commission’s work should be underpinned by robust research and reliable data on wages, productivity, purchasing power and economic growth to ensure that its recommendations reflect prevailing economic realities.
“The Commission must promote a remuneration system that recognises skills, responsibility, innovation, and productivity while encouraging efficiency and accountability. Strengthening digital and data capabilities and positioning the Commission as a centre of excellence in compensation and productivity is crucial”, the SGF said.
Akume reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting institutions whose mandates advance the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the NSIWC has an important role to play in ensuring that the benefits of the administration’s economic reforms translate into improved livelihoods and a more stable industrial environment.
He congratulated Bindawa and other members of the board on their appointments and urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by providing “visionary, responsible and results-oriented leadership”.
President Tinubu had appointed Bindawa as Chairman of the commission alongside nine other members.
Former member of the House of Representatives from Lagos State, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, was appointed Secretary of the Commission.
Dr Ogbole Ene Lilian, Oladele Olatubosun and Yakubu Umar Barde, representing Benue, Oyo and Kaduna states respectively, were appointed commissioners.
Other members are Dr Mai Adamu Yau from Borno State; Ginika Florence Tor from Enugu State; Engineer Lawrence Okoh from Edo State; and Bello Moronke Iyabode from Kogi State.
Responding on behalf of the new board, Bindawa expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the confidence reposed in the members through their appointments and pledged that they would discharge their responsibilities diligently.
He acknowledged the weight of the responsibilities entrusted to the board, particularly its oversight of salaries, wages, incomes and productivity, which he described as critical areas affecting workers’ welfare and the delivery of quality public service.
Bindawa also assured the government and workers that the board would embrace constructive engagement in carrying out its mandate and work harmoniously with organised labour.
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