The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) have agreed to strengthen their collaboration to curb unauthorised salary structures and allowances across government agencies.
The move followed concerns over the failure of some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to comply with approved salary arrangements.
The Chairman of the commission, Junaid Bindawa (retd), disclosed this during a visit to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi.
Mr Bindawa said the engagement was aimed at improving cooperation between both institutions and addressing irregularities in public service salary administration.
He noted that some government agencies had continued to implement unapproved salary structures and allowances despite the commission’s regulatory responsibilities.
According to him, stronger cooperation with the OAGF would enable the commission to identify defaulting agencies and seek appropriate intervention or sanctions.
He said the commission would rely on the Accountant-General’s office to draw attention to institutions that failed to comply with approved salary policies.
In his response, Mr Ogunjimi explained that the OAGF, as the federation’s treasurer, oversees government receipts and withdrawals, giving it access to information on revenue generation across the public service.
He stressed the importance of verifying claims of internally generated revenue (IGR) made by government agencies, particularly when such figures were presented to justify requests for salary reviews.
The Accountant-General also acknowledged the peculiar allowance previously approved for staff of his office by the commission but requested a review to bring it in line with allowances enjoyed by workers in some government agencies within the financial sector.
Mr Ogunjimi assured the visiting delegation of his office’s willingness to assist the commission in identifying and addressing irregularities in salary administration.
He also pledged to provide the necessary professional support to strengthen the proposed partnership.
The collaboration is expected to improve compliance with approved salary structures, strengthen the verification of revenue claims and encourage a more data-driven approach to salary administration.
(NAN)
