Photo Credit: The Sun Nigeria / PTDF
FG Moves To Harmonise Salaries Of Federal Workers

The Federal Government has begun moves to harmonise the salary structure of federal civil servants to correct the lopsidedness in earnings across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The call for harmonisation was made by the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Prof. Shuaib Aliyu, when the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Major General Junaid Bindawa (rtd), led a delegation of the Commission’s management staff on a courtesy visit to the PTDF in Abuja.

Prof. Aliyu said the country’s development challenge is tied to weak human capital development, which can only be corrected with a well-motivated workforce. He urged the NSIWC to bridge the dichotomy in salaries and wages, stressing that no sector is more important than the other.

He lamented that lack of motivation has made the teaching profession a dumping ground for job seekers, especially at the primary and secondary school levels, adding that no nation can develop without quality human resources.

Aliyu said PTDF is ready to collaborate with NSIWC in the area of human capital development training, noting that the partnership would be mutually beneficial as NSIWC has expertise in salary administration.

Earlier in his remarks, Major General Bindawa said both agencies have a strategic role in human capacity development, hence the need to strengthen collaboration in training.

He appreciated PTDF for its invaluable support to the Commission over the years, particularly in capacity building and human capital development, and called for a renewal of the partnership with more vigour.

According to a statement by the Head of Press and Protocol, Mr. Emma Njoku, Bindawa noted that though the mandates of both organisations are distinct, there are significant areas of convergence that provide a strong basis for deeper institutional collaboration.

He listed such areas to include developing indigenous human and institutional capacity for the petroleum industry through education, training, research and development, and other interventions aimed at building technical and professional competencies for national development.

The NSIWC Chairman explained that the Commission has a critical mandate on salaries, incomes and wages policy, including advising government on remuneration, promoting a fair, sustainable and coherent remuneration system in the public service, and undertaking research and policy development in support of national economic and labour policies.

He added that both institutions share a common interest in human capital development, institutional effectiveness, productivity, research, evidence-based policy and development of highly-skilled manpower, noting that the Commission is a stakeholder in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

According to him, the PIA gave NSIWC a major participatory role in determining remuneration under Part III: Section 13(2), Section 21(a-c), Section 35 g(i-iii) and Section 44(a-c).

He said the Commission would welcome discussions with PTDF management on establishing a more structured framework for cooperation.

Highlight of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on capacity building.

Source: The Sun Nigeria –