At NSIWC’s Board Retreat, FG, Stakeholders Brainstorm on Potential Wage Review Amid Economic Hardship

• SGF calls for sustainable wage policies backed by credible data, fiscal realities 

•Bindawa seeks evidence-based wage policies to balance workers’ welfare, fiscal limitations 

•Head of Service seeks productivity-driven reforms as commission targets stronger wage governance

James Emejo in Abuja

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, yesterday called for fair, sustainable and responsive wage system capable of accommodating workers’ legitimate expectations while reflecting the country’s fiscal realities.

Akume spoke in Abuja at the opening of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) board retreat with the theme, “Vision, Strategy and Institutional Renewal: Towards a New Era of Wage Governance.”

He challenged the commission to strengthen its research and analytical capacities to provide credible policy advice on salaries, incomes and wages.

Represented by Permanent Secretary, General Services Office (GSO), Office of the SGF, Mr. Abubakar Ibrahim Kana, Akume described wage governance as critical to industrial harmony, public sector productivity, economic stability, and social justice.

He stressed that decisions on remuneration must be guided by reliable data, evidence-based analysis and constructive engagement among government, labour and employers.

According to him, the ongoing economic reforms and rising public expectations have increased the need for a wage administration system that can respond to changing circumstances without compromising fiscal sustainability.

He identified policy coherence, digital transformation and measurable implementation as priorities for the commission, urging its board and management to improve data management, strengthen research and modernise administrative processes.

The SGF also called for clear implementation timelines, defined responsibilities and effective monitoring mechanisms to ensure that resolutions reached at the retreat translated into tangible institutional improvements.

He said an inclusive and credible wage framework would strengthen confidence among stakeholders, reduce avoidable industrial disputes and support a more stable environment for national development.

“A credible and inclusive approach towards governance is indispensable to building trust, preventing avoidable industrial disputes,” he added.

Akume said, “The success of this retreat would ultimately be measured not by the quality of its decisions alone, but by the effectiveness with which its recommendations are implemented.

“Let this retreat provide the foundation for a renewed national salaries income and wages commission – one that is innovative in its thinking, mindful of the nation’s economic circumstances, as well as unwavering in its commitment to effective wage governance

“As we work collectively to advance the renewed hope agenda of His Excellency President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, every public institution must demonstrate that it can convert policy intentions into tangible improvements in governance and the lives of all Nigerians.”

Bindawa seeks evidence-based wage policies

Earlier, Chairman/Chief Executive of NSIWC, Major-General Sani Junaid Bindawa (rtd.), called for a more strategic approach to wage administration.

Bindawa said the commission must be better equipped to address the competing demands of workers’ welfare, government finances, and public sector efficiency.

He said wage decisions had far-reaching implications for government expenditure, industrial relations, productivity and the overall performance of the public service, making credible data and objective analysis indispensable to policy formulation.

Bindawa stated that inflationary pressures, changing labour expectations and the evolving fiscal environment required the commission to strengthen its capacity to assess compensation issues and provide timely recommendations to government.

The NSIWC chairman said the commission must move beyond the routine discharge of its statutory responsibilities towards a forward-looking institutional model driven by research, reliable information, effective stakeholder engagement and measurable results.

He stressed that sustainable wage policies must balance workers’ legitimate expectations with the imperatives of productivity and social justice, as well as government’s ability to finance public sector remuneration.

Bindawa said the three-day retreat should produce a practical roadmap with clear priorities, assigned responsibilities and implementable actions rather than end with recommendations that might not be executed.

He also advocated stronger collaboration between the board and management, improved internal systems, appropriate digital tools and greater accountability across the commission.

According to him, the outcome should be a more professional and responsive institution capable of providing sound policy guidance on the nation’s wage structure.

Head of Service seeks productivity-driven reforms

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, said effective wage governance must be linked to broader efforts to improve productivity, strengthen accountability and modernise public administration.

Enitan described the responsibilities of the NSIWC and the civil service as complementary, stating that decisions on salaries, incomes and wages require transparency, reliable data and meaningful consultation to reconcile workers’ welfare with competing national priorities.

Enitan highlighted ongoing efforts to transform the civil service through workforce development and the end-to-end digitisation of administrative processes, aimed at building a more efficient, responsive and performance-driven public service.

He said a properly equipped, productive, incorruptible and citizen-centred workforce would be better positioned to implement government policies and contribute to the administration’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

The head of service expressed confidence that the retreat would generate practical recommendations to strengthen the commission’s institutional capacity, improve public service delivery and advance wider public sector reforms.

Commission targets institutional renewal

In her remarks, Secretary to the NSIWC, Hon. Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, said the establishment of the commission in 1993 created a permanent institutional framework for advising government on national incomes policy and public sector salaries, wages and allowances.

Okoya-Thomas recalled that previous wage reviews had been handled by temporary commissions, including the Morgan Commission of 1964, the Adebo Commission of 1971 and the Udoji Commission of 1974.

Okoya-Thomas said the commission’s mandate was to ensure that wage decisions were informed by credible evidence rather than emergency responses, stressing that reliable data remains central to the development of sustainable remuneration policies.

She said the retreat would examine the adequacy of wage data, the balance between fair remuneration and fiscal constraints, social dialogue, institutional capacity and governance.

According to her, the commission intends to develop an action plan aligned with Nigeria Agenda 2050 and the Medium-Term National Development Plan 2026–2030, incorporating defined priorities, implementation timelines and measurable performance indicators.

NLC president urges government to avert labour unrest

Meanwhile, President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, urged government to address workers’ concerns to avert fresh industrial disputes.

Ajaero, who spoke at board retreat, stressed that the current minimum wage was increasingly insufficient to meet workers’ basic needs, urging authorities to address the situation proactively rather than wait for strikes and protests.

He said NLC’s recent ultimatum to the federal government on the reduction of petrol price and return to wage renegotiation remained effective.

He said, “Real wages control the economy, and the workers are even the main people that pay tax in this country.”

The NLC president maintained that the central issue was not simply the amount added to salaries but whether workers could sustain themselves and their families under prevailing economic conditions.

He urged government officials to reassess the circumstances of public sector employees and consider measures to ease the pressure on household incomes before dissatisfaction escalated.

Ajaero also cited labour’s efforts to prevent industrial disputes from worsening, including its intervention in an industrial action involving health sector workers that lasted 84 days before it was called off.

He referred to efforts to avert additional industrial action by the National Public Service Negotiating Council, warning that unresolved grievances could deepen discontent across the public service.

The labour leader said government should not wait until workers resorted to strikes and protests before responding to their concerns. He urged the authorities to prioritise early intervention and sustained engagement with organised labour.