Follow Us on Google
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The federal government is investigating the circumstances that led to the N4.99 trillion wage bill of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the 2023 budget.
The amount which is about 30 per cent of the total N20.51 trillion budget of 2023 is considered to be on the high side, a situation that necessitated the inspection of the salaries of MDAs.
Addressing the field and monitoring officers in the execution of 2022 salary inspection projects, the Chairman of the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Mr Ekpo Nta, said that given the bloated nature of the personnel cost, there’s a need to keep it under continuous surveillance and control lest government’s finances go haywire.
Nta who was represented by the Honourable Commissioner (compensation), Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade noted that the wage sector accounts for upward of 30 per cent of the government budget and if not checked it will become a challenge to the government.
In his remarks, Acting Director, compensation, NSIWC, Mr Chiadi Adighogu noted that in order to recommend an increase in salaries or pensions, the commission requires the staff strength of serving staff and pensioners in MDAs.
“This is to enable it to compute the cost implication and the ability of the government to pay which is a cardinal principle of International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. This principle also applies during collective bargaining. It is on this note that the NSIWC carries out the Manning Level of MDAs in its yearly capital project.
“The 2022 phase of the project is directed at capturing the staffing data of establishments under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health. Currently, there is no comprehensive source of data on the manning levels and wages bill of federal government establishments under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health,” he said.
