Chairman of the Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq. stated this when Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr Chioma Ejikeme led a delegation of Management Staff on a courtesy visit to the Chairman. Nta, Esq said the need for constant engagement became necessary because of the importance the two agencies play in the life of people, from productive age to resting age.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr Ejikeme stressed the need for harmonization of pension in-line with the salary structure in the pension received. PTAD boss also urged the Commission to consider pension review in 2024 during the next Minimum Wage review.

In attendance at the meeting were Directors and Heads of Department in the Commission, including Mr Sule Y. Tegina, Director Finance and Admin, Mr Babatunde Oronsanya, Director PPID, Chiadi Adighiogu, Acting Director, Compensation, Mr Olugbenga Aborode, Head Admin, Bar Iwuoha C, Head Legal Unit, Mr Paul Ernest, Head MID, Greg Edekhe and Akinrinade Adeniyi, Assistant Directors, Chairman’s Office.

“The collaboration that culminated in the signing of this MoU started in 2020 when we received a proposal from NACETEM requesting participants for the training they organised. Thereafter we met with the NACETEM Zonal Team to work out specialised training modules for the Commission,” Mr Nta explained.
He added, “The meeting led to a capacity-building exercise for 55 staff in the Operations and other Support departments in NSIWC. We followed this up with further training for staff of the Commission in Akure in 2021 and in Abuja in 2022.”

The NSIWC boss said the MoU would help exchange ideas, concepts and training manuals. He further said it would help with sharing data for research purposes, among other things.

Speaking after signing of the MOU with National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), in Abuja, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NACETEM, Dr John Akintayo Omimakinde, said that beside saving money, the pressure on the exchange rate will reduce.

He said that in the last few months the agency had trained a number of civil servants adding that if their estacode, air tickets and other expenses are considered, it will run into several millions of naira.
In his remarks, the chairman of NSIWC, Mr Ekpo Nta said that his agency has been in the business of domesticating trainings.

According to him, the trainings that people run out of the country to go and get actually is domiciled in Nigeria and better structured because it’s tailored to suit the environment.

The NSIWC boss emphasized that Nigeria is always a pacesetter and cautioned the parties to the MOU not to allow the document to gather dust in the locker. He further advised NACETEM to package Nigerian youths to compete favourably with their international counterparts.
Nta concluded that government agencies needed to collaborate to better deliver on their mandates rather than working in silos.

NSIWC’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Njoku, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Njoku said as part of the process to review the  minimum wage, which would be due in 2024, the commission had held series of meetings and trainings towards a nationwide monitoring of the Minimum Wage Act 2019.

He said the monitoring billed to begin on Jan. 23, would help ascertain the compliance level of public and private employers and organisations.

According to him, the monitoring team will among other things inquire if employers keep adequate records of wage and conditions of service of employees.

“The exercise will enlighten the public and private employers and organisations on the economic benefits in adhering to the payment of the National Minimum Wage.

“It will also help in obtaining baseline data on remuneration policies and practices of private sector organisations in order to enrich the commission’s data bank on staff compensation.

“The monitoring exercise will cover the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

Njoku said the monitoring team for the exercise would be drawn from key stakeholders including the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Ministry of Finance and National Planning.

Other stakeholders, according to him, are Head of Service of the Federation, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office of the Federation and National Bureau of Statistics.

The spokesperson called on federal, state and local government ministries, departments and agencies, including government-owned enterprises, private sector establishments and labour unions to cooperate with the monitoring officers.

To this end, the commission has called on governments at all levels to acquaint themselves with data produced by various Federal Government data-generating agencies for adequate planning.

In a  statement,  the Chief Press Secretary, Emma Njoku, said that the Executive Chairman, National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta Esq., gave the advice at the opening of a workshop organised by the Compensation Department of the Commission to kick off the Pay Comparability Survey of the States’ Public Services.

Nta who was represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Engr. David Nyikyaa noted that data generated from the survey will go a long way in providing comprehensive data on pay information in the public sector of the economy.

Also speaking, the Acting Director, Compensation Department, Mr Chiadi Adighiogu, explained that the survey is aimed at obtaining data on the patterns and levels of remuneration of personnel in the states and the local government areas of the federation.

Adighiogu said that, for the phase one of the survey, 12 states have been selected for the survey while the remaining states  will be covered in the second phase of the survey.

The purpose of the exercise is to ascertain the level of compliance of public and private sector employers with the payment of the national minimum wage of N30,000:00 per month to their employees as provided by Section 3 of the Act. Consequently, a team of authorised officers has been mandated to visit selected employers/organisations between Monday, 23rd January 2023 and Friday, 3rd February 2023 to administer a questionnaire aimed at obtaining information to verify the level of compliance with the provisions of the Act.

Concerned employers/organisations as well as members of the public are hereby informed of the exercise and requested to give maximum support and cooperation where necessary,

Engr. David I. Nyikyaa
Secretary to the Commission

(Announcer)

It aimed to develop steps toward the implementation of the Commission’s Strategic Plan and to have in place Monitoring and Evaluation plans for periodic evaluation of the strategic implementation plans to align them towards fulfillment of the corporate goals of the Commission.

The Chairman of the Commission Barr. Ekpo Nta gave the opening remarks while the keynote address was delivered by Amb. Dr. Anthonia Ekpa.

He said the call became necessary in order to achieve harmonisation, especially in areas of productivity, adequate compensation and reduction in frequent demand for salary review.

Ekpo Nta, Esq stated this when he played host to a delegation from the National Lottery Regulatory Commission led by its Director General, Lanre Gbajabiamila.

The Acting Chairman who said the inter-agency collaboration which may be in form of Memorandum of Understanding, MOU will help the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to achieve one of its mandate of evaluation, grading and subsequently review of salaries noted that the MOU will also enable the Commission to moderate requests by MDAs.

He also explained that the synergy will clear some misconception about some agencies by the public.

Earlier in a remark, the Director General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila had said that his Commission as a revenue generating agency deserve an improved welfare in form of upward salary review.

He explained that with a renewed interest in lottery business, there is the need for the Lottery Commission to be adequately funded and the staff well-remunerated for a functional regulation of the sector and reduce infraction in the business and compete favorably with its counterpart in other climes.

Responding, the Acting Chairman, National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq. informed his guest that the Federal Government had directed that issues of salary review should be suspended until the issue of the National Minimum Wage is done with.

Ekpo Nta also said that the Federal Government was planning to inaugurate the Committee on Harmonization, which according to him will take care of some requests on salary review; he however informed the agency to make his request formal in writing.

In another development, the Acting Chairman, National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq. also played host to a delegation from the National Agency for the Great Green Wall led by its Director General, Dr Bukar Hassan.

Dr Hassan who said he was in the Commission to familiarize himself with the Commission and find possible ways of collaboration urged the Commission to assist his Agency in reviewing is conditions of service for effective operation.

He also asked identified some risks associated with the operations of the agency, and called for a review of it salaries to attract more professionals.

Responding, the Acting Chairman, National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq, congratulated the Director-General and noted that he was in a familiar terrain having been in one of the agencies in the Ministry of Environment.

He informed his guest that the Commission will look into the issue of Condition of Service, and urged him to send in a formal request. But for the salary review, he said the issue will be on hold until the consequential adjustment arising from the minimum wage is concluded.

The elated celebrant Engr David Nyikyaa said he never expected the fun- fare that heralded his birthday and pray that celebration will never ceased in the Commission.

Highlight of the event was prayer session, words of exaltation and cutting of cake.

The Acting Chairman of the Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq, who made the assertion when he received the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Adamu and other top notch of the Force, including DIG Joseph Egbunike in his office in Abuja noted that he was proud of the national and international achievements of the police force within the context of resources available to it.

Earlier, the Inspector General of Police, IGP extensively briefed the Commission on the current status, and the need for a regular review, of the conditions of service, remunerations and pensions of the police in order to maximise its effectiveness and adequately motivate its personnel.

He further added that due to ongoing security challenges and manpower constraints, police personnel were constrained to work beyond approved hours of shift duties.

Responding, the Executive Chairman, National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq said the Commission had always given serious consideration and understanding, in recommending remuneration packages for the Police, and of course, related institutions.

‘It was worthy of note that at the last negotiations for the Consequential Adjustment of salaries arising from the National Minimum Wage Act 2019, the Commission in recognition of their selfless sacrifices for the country, also recommended a percentage increase for the Police, paramilitary Agencies, Intelligence Community and the Armed Forces’ the Acting Chairman said.

Ekpo Nta, Esq. noted that the Commission’s position was unanimously endorsed by both Labour and the Federal Government Team under the Conciliation of Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, and graciously approved by Mr President.

The Acting Chairman declared that the Commission had embarked on implementing more vigorous productivity and improvement schemes in the public sector to ensure that increases in salaries and allowances are backed with relative productivity as justification.

He explained that the Commission will soon extend the productivity improvement schemes to the Security Sector so that governments would have the empirical data they need for continuous positive investments and interventions in this critical sector.

A highlight of the events was the presentation to the IGP, some research publications undertaken by the Commission in the areas of Incomes Surveys of the Health Sector (Private Health Facilities) and of the Informal Sector.

The Acting Chairman of the Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq. stated this when he played host to the Chairman of Code of Conduct Bureau, Prof Mohammad Isah who led his management team on a courtesy visit to the Commission.

Ekpo Nta, Esq. who described the CCB as very critical and central to the fight against corruption said the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission would, in the course of pursuing its mandate, collaborate with the agency.

He commended the CCB for its achievements over the year and advised the Bureau to leverage ICT in handling some of its processes for more efficiency and that some of its success stories should be posted on the website for easy access by international organizations, especially the UN agencies.

The Acting Chairman acknowledged that the Commission is attending to their request which will pass through all the necessary internal processes before forwarding the recommendations to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Presidential Committee on Salaries.

Ekpo Nta, Esq who stated that the Commission just concluded a retreat for its management staff to chart a 5-year strategic plan for the Commission, said one of the outcomes of the retreat was to commence a monthly appraisal system that will complement the Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) that had been in use.

Earlier, the Chairman of CCB had said the purpose of the visit was to seek the understanding and assistance of the Ag. Chairman of the pending requests of the CCB regarding benchmarking of the remuneration of its staffs with that of other anti-corruption agencies, i.e. the ICPC and EFCC.

He also noted that to give credence to the pending requests, the Bureau had already changed the nomenclature of its staff in tandem with that of other anti-corruption agencies.