The Board and Management of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC) have been formally presented with the New Salary Scale and improved conditions of service as approved by the Federal Executive Council. The presentation which was made by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) Thursday 2nd September 2021, marked the end of a ten year battle to turn the fortunes of the Commission around.
In his remarks at the ceremony,Acting Chairman of NIMC Governing Board, Mallam Bello Ibrahim Gwandu disclosed that “since 2010 we have been galvanizing efforts to ensure a positive change in the fortunes of NIMC’s workforce, but each time we take one successful step forward, there appears to be multiple gridlocks impeding our pace, All of these changed for the better upon the assumption of Professor Pantami as the supervisory Minister of NIMC. Evidence abounds of his persistent push and resilient resolve to accelerate us to this remarkable phase. We couldn’t have asked for a better Minister” he emphasized.
NIMC Director General , Engr Aliyu Abdullaziz, while expressing the profound gratitude of the Commission in particular and the sector in general, noted that ‘Professor Pantami has achieved in less than a year, what previous administrations tried unsuccessfully to achieve in over a decade”.
In his address, the Honourable Minister while thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for the support enjoyed by the sector, remarked that the previous unsuccessful attempts, though strong-willed, had resulted in disenchantment amongst the Commission’s workforce and loss of competent and highly skilled personnel to other organizations within and outside the country.
“The new Condition of Service and Salary Scale increases with over 200% the total NIMC personnel cost, a significant departure from what is currently obtainable” Pantami stated.
He therefore urged the Board and Management of the Commission to ensure the funds are judiciously used for the purposes intended. He also enjoined members of staff to justify the gesture of the federal government.
It can be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari transferred the supervision of the Commission to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, under Professor Pantami’s purview in October 2020.
