The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) says it is partnering with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) on human capacity building and training.

The chairman of the commission, Maj.-Gen. Junaid Bindawa (rtd), said this in a statement issued by the head of press and protocol of NSIWC, Emmanuel Njoku, on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Bindawa said this when he and other management staff visited the PTDF boss in Abuja.

According to the NSIWC chairman, the two institutions have strategic roles to play in human capital development.

Mr Bindawa said that PTDF had extended invaluable support and collaborated with the commission, particularly in the areas of capacity building and human capital development.

The NSIWC boss said that there was a need to renew the partnership with more vigour.

He added that although the mandates of PTDF and his Commission were distinct, there were still significant areas where both institutions could collaborate.

“Such convergence are in areas of developing indigenous human and institutional capacity for the petroleum industry.

“Other areas are education, training, research and development and other interventions aimed at building the technical and professional competencies required for national development’’ he said.

Mr Bindawa explained that NSIWC had a critical responsibility in the area of salaries, incomes and wages policy.

He added that the commission also advised government on remuneration matters, promoting a fair, sustainable and coherent remuneration system within the public service.

According to him, the commission also undertakes relevant research, analysis and policy development in support of national economic and labour policies.

Mr Bindawa noted that both institutions shared a common interest in human capital development, institutional effectiveness, productivity, research, evidence-based policy and the development of highly skilled manpower.

He stated that the commission was also a stakeholder in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

“The PIA plays a major participatory role to the NISWC in determining remuneration as a major stakeholder in the future of the oil and gas sector.

“This is under Part III: Section 13(2), Section 21(a-c), Section 35 g(i-iii) and Section 44(a-c),” he explained.

The chairman said that the commission would welcome discussions with the management of the PTDF on the need to establish a more structured framework for cooperation between the two institutions.

In his remarks, the executive secretary of PTDF, Shuaib Shehu, said the PTDF was ready to collaborate with NSIWC in training and human capital development.

Mr Shehu said NSIWC played a critical role in the welfare and motivation of the workforce and that collaboration between the two institutions would be mutually beneficial.

“The problem with the country’s development is near lack of strong capital development and that can be corrected through well-motivated workforce” he said.

He urged NSIWC to work towards bridging the dichotomy in salaries and wages to achieve greater harmonisation.

According to him, no sector should be regarded as more important than another.

Mr Shehu also expressed concern over the declining motivation in the teaching profession, particularly at the primary and secondary school levels.

He added that Nigeria could not achieve meaningful development without investing in its human resources.

The highlight of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on capacity building between NSIWC and PTDF.