FG approves Employee-Centric Condition and Scheme of Service for NITDA
The Nigerian government has approved Employee-Centric Condition and Scheme of Service to upgrade the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA .
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami who presented the documents in Abuja
said that the scheduled scheme of service would serve as a veritable tool for making the Agency more functional as it develops into becoming one of the most strategic government institutions in Nigeria.
He noted that NITDA’s Condition of Service is to re-engineer the operations and structure of the Agency with the aim of providing an enabling environment for effective strategy development and execution.
Dr. Pantami emphasised that the Scheme and Conditions of Service would enable the Agency to effectively key into the digital economy mandate of the Nigerian Government, enhance the corporate culture of the agency, attract and retain highly skilled staff, amongst others.
”This will match the global industry requirements that are needed to develop and regulate the innovative and agile digital economy industry,” he stated.
Dr. Pantami also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, for his support for the Digital Economy sector in approving both the Scheme of Service and Conditions of Service for NITDA.
The Scheme identifies 15 different cadres for the NITDA. It also provides the approved cadre for the Agency and specifies the skills and certifications required for appointment and promotion in the Agency.
Some of the key areas of the document include; the introduction of paternity and compassionate leave, responsibility award, transfer benefits and staff home ownership loan, among others.
While congratulating the Chairman of Board, Director-General, Management and Staff of NITDA, Dr. Pantami emphasised that the Agency has a critical role to play in the development of Nigeria’s Digital Economy and challenged them to use the approval of this Scheme and Conditions of Service as a springboard for greater impact.
“I always encourage people to ridicule their previous achievements if they truly want to surpass them. In line with this and as part of the implementation of the Conditions and Scheme of Service, I have directed the Board and Management of NITDA to ensure that there is a significant improvement in the performance of the Agency,” he said.
”The Ministry is committed to attracting and retaining highly skilled and highly motivated personnel in the Digital Economy sector, including all the parastatals under our supervision. I have directed the Management of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to develop a Career Structure (Scheme of Service) and Conditions of Service for NIMC,” Dr. Pantami added.
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr. Festus Daudu, said that the documents could not have come at any better time than now when the entire Public Service is undergoing positive transformation and reform.
“This is an attestation that Government is interested in making sure that the Public Service is better positioned to deliver on its mandate of service delivery to the citizenry. It goes to show how important this administration attaches to the welfare of its citizenry by according it the highest priority it deserves,” Mr Daudu said.
On the issue of welfare of staff, he said it is very vital to the productivity of any organisation hence the need to make it a priority.
Mr Daudu said; “This is because, staff play a very important role in the production process of any organisation, depending on how their welfare is worked on, and it can affect their performance at the work place either positively or negatively.
“It is therefore in the Condition of Service that Staff welfare can really be addressed properly. A ‘condition of service’ which other people refer to as condition of employment is something that both the employee and employer agree to at the beginning of a worker’s employment.”
The Director General of NITDA, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa thanked Dr. Pantami for his support in bringing the scheme of service into reality.
“In 2016, when you joined NITDA, the building looked like public service building and productivity was very low but within the shortest possible time, you changed our mindset and initiated so many groundbreaking initiatives to transform the agency,” Mr Inuwa said.
He urged the members of staff to be innovative, efficient and effective in carrying out their responsibilities
Other dignitaries at the event include the Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, represented by the Executive Commissioner Stakeholders Engagement, NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone Ltd, Professor Muhammed Abubakar and the Director General of National Identity Management Commission, Aliyu Aziz.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
