NSIWC Hinges Salary Review on Productivity and Performance Evaluation

The National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) says the Commission will assess evaluate the productivity and contributions of government agencies before considering requests for salary adjustments and allowances.
The Chairman and CEO of the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission Major General Junaid Bindawa (Rtd) PhD stated this in Lagos when the Commission paid a familiarization visit to the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), formerly, Shippers Council.
He said the exercise was aimed at gaining a better understanding of NPERA’s operations, the responsibilities attached to various positions, working conditions, challenges confronting staff and the specialized skills required to deliver on the Agency’s mandate.
Major General Bindawa (Rtd) said NPERA’s transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to an economic regulatory agency was beyond a change of name, noting that its new legal framework had expanded its responsibilities and created additional demands on its workforce.
The NSIWC Boss noted that the Commission’s assessment would examine the basis for the Agency’s transformation, as well as the implications of its new status and expanded mandate for its workforce and remuneration structure.

He explained that the NSIWC was established under the NSIWC Act of 1993, with responsibilities including advising the Federal Government on national incomes policy and recommending salary structures applicable to Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The Chairman said the current inspection programme was part of the Commission’s Strategic Plan, which provides for regular and comprehensive salary and payroll inspections across Federal Government MDAs.
He said the exercise was designed to monitor the implementation of approved salary structures, ensure compliance with approved Consolidated Salary Structures, and identify instances where unapproved salary structures were being implemented.
Major General Bindawa added that cases of non-compliance would be reported to the Federal Government, while appropriate action would be taken where agencies were found to be implementing unapproved salary structures.
The NSIWC Chairman assured NPERA that the assessment team would approach the exercise with an open mind and conduct a fair and objective evaluation, noting that the Agency’s importance to national economic development and its expanded responsibilities under the new regulatory framework.

In his remark, the Director General and CEO of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) pledged full cooperation with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in its ongoing review of salary structures and workforce requirements across Federal Government agencies.

Akutah said the visit was timely, coming as NPERA undergoes restructuring following its transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council into a full-fledged economic regulatory agency with an expanded mandate.
“The mandate of the Commission to review salary structures, performance evaluation and working conditions across government agencies is important, especially for an institution undergoing a major transformation like ours,” Akutah said.
He said NPERA was pleased to be among the first government institutions visited by the Commission and would provide all necessary information required for the assessment.