Akume Tasks Wage Commission on Fair Pay, Digital Reforms

Representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office OSGF, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni, presenting the Keynote Address at the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission Board Retreat.

.... Urges the commission to embrace digital transformation, strengthen accountability and promote industrial harmony amid economic reforms and rising public expectations.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has charged the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to develop a fair, sustainable and responsive wage system that balances workers’ welfare with the government’s financial capacity.

Akume also urged the commission to embrace digital transformation, strengthen accountability and promote industrial harmony amid economic reforms and rising public expectations.

The SGF, represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, gave the charge on Monday at the opening of a three-day board and management retreat of the commission in Abuja.

The retreat was themed “Vision, Strategy and Institutional Renewal.”

According to a statement issued by the commission’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Chris Ugwuegbulam, Akume said the prevailing economic realities had made effective wage governance increasingly important to national development.

He described the commission as a critical institution in Nigeria’s governance structure, given its statutory responsibility for providing policy advice, conducting wage analysis, coordinating remuneration policies and engaging relevant stakeholders.

The SGF reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, to building an efficient, productive and responsive public service while pursuing economic reforms aimed at promoting inclusive growth and improving living standards.

He urged the commission to strengthen its capacity to anticipate emerging wage-related challenges and provide evidence-based recommendations that would promote fair remuneration, fiscal sustainability and industrial peace.

Akume said wage policies should be informed by credible data, prevailing economic conditions and constructive consultations with organised labour, employers and other stakeholders.

He also called for increased investment in research, data management, modern technology and staff development to improve the commission’s effectiveness.

The SGF stressed that adopting digital solutions would enable the commission to deliver timely, transparent and reliable services while responding more effectively to the changing demands of wage administration.

He further challenged the board and management to translate the retreat’s deliberations into practical measures, with clear priorities, assigned responsibilities and measurable performance indicators.

Representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni, (4th right), the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan (4th left), Board Chairman, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Major General Junaid Bindawa (rtd.), (5th right), President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, Federal Permanent Secretaries and NSIWC Board Members at the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission Board Retreat

Akume said the commission must strengthen collaboration with ministries, departments and agencies, organised labour and other stakeholders to build trust, prevent avoidable industrial disputes and create a stable environment for national development.

He urged participants to approach the retreat with openness and a shared commitment to institutional excellence, expressing confidence that their deliberations would lay the foundation for a more innovative and responsive commission.

“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 translate policy intentions into tangible improvements in governance and the lives of Nigerians,” he said.

Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation 

In his remarks, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel, described the relationship between his office and the commission as a partnership in progress.

He said their complementary mandates were essential to the welfare, development and advancement of the federal civil service, adding that issues relating to salaries, wages and incomes required continuous dialogue, mutual understanding and constructive engagement.

Abel disclosed that ongoing reforms were aimed at repositioning the civil service to become more Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-centred, in line with the EPIC framework.

He expressed confidence that a properly equipped, refocused and digitally compliant workforce would support Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the administration’s ambition to build a $1tn economy by 2030.

Also speaking, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Maj. Gen. Junaid Sani Bindawa (retd.), called for stronger collaboration between the board and management to improve operational efficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s wage governance framework.

Bindawa said the commission must build an institution distinguished by professionalism, integrity, sound research, effective stakeholder engagement and measurable results.

He noted that institutional renewal required a shared sense of purpose, with the board providing strategic direction and oversight while management and staff ensured the effective implementation of approved policies and decisions.

The chairman added that mutual trust, constructive engagement, disciplined execution and collective commitment to the commission’s mandate were essential for sustainable institutional progress.

Comrade Joe Ajaero 
President, NLC

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, urged the Federal Government to urgently address the economic hardship confronting Nigerian workers.

In his goodwill message, Ajaero said workers’ welfare must be prioritised to sustain productivity, protect livelihoods and promote economic stability.

He argued that workers, as major contributors to government revenue through taxation, deserved adequate attention, particularly as rising living costs continued to erode their purchasing power.