Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has inaugurated a Joint Management-Union Committee to provide a structured platform for addressing issues affecting staff welfare, training, productivity, and workplace conditions across the Agency, ravenewsonline reports.
The DG revealed that the initiative was informed by the need to ensure that staff concerns are properly heard rather than addressed on an ad hoc basis.
The committee, which brings representatives of management and the staff union to the same table, is expected to deliberate on employee matters and reach decisions through greater consultation and transparency.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the Agency’s Human Resources Sensitisation Week 2026, Inuwa commended the Human Resources Department, but stressed that effective management goes beyond enforcing rules and procedures, noting that employees remain central to the Agency’s ability to deliver on its mandate.
According to him, management and the human resources function should increasingly focus on unlocking staff potential and creating an environment where employees can contribute meaningfully.
“People are the operating system of the Agency. We want to unlock your potential. We want to make you innovative so that the Agency will achieve its mandate. So, as we continue to manage our personnel, it’s also important to start thinking of how we can move from managing people to unlocking their potential’’.
The DG said the work of the Joint Committee would not be limited to training matters, explaining that it would serve as a broader mechanism for dealing with issues that affect staff welfare.
He subsequently declared the committee inaugurated and urged its members to begin work with utmost urgency.
The move followed concerns raised by staff over the way training opportunities and other benefits were allocated. The DG agreed that training and capacity development should take performance and contribution into account rather than relying solely on rank.
Beyond training, staff used the forum to highlight gaps in working tools and the need for faster intervention when employees face medical emergencies or accidents.
Responding, the DG said the Agency had procured digital tools and was working towards ensuring that every staff member is provided with the equipment required to perform effectively.
He noted that the Agency had expanded training opportunities in recent years, including international programmes.
Inuwa explained that the feedback session provided an opportunity for the Human Resources Department to understand both what it was doing well and where improvements were required, describing the relationship between management and employees as a “social contract” in which both sides have responsibilities.
While calling for continued attention to staff welfare, the DG challenged the staff to reciprocate with stronger commitment, productivity and punctuality.
He advised that improved welfare must be matched by performance, because the Agency benefits more when the staff is given the right conditions to develop their capabilities and contribute fully to its mandate.
The joint committee comprises management representatives including the Director of Finance, the Director of Human Resources, the DG’s representative, and auditors, while the union would also nominate four representatives.
Earlier, the Agency’s Director of Human Resource Management, Mr Sarafa Lawal, observed that the role of human resources had evolved beyond recruitment, personnel administration and staff welfare to become a strategic function in innovative organisational performance.
He noted that modern human resource practices must help shape organisational capability, culture, performance, and sustainability by ensuring that employees understand the Agency’s direction, their responsibilities and the opportunities available for their growth.
Lawal also described employees as a strategic asset rather than merely a cost to be managed, arguing that investment in training, professional development, coaching and career development should be viewed as investment in institutional capacity.
The Director of HRM said human capital development was a shared responsibility involving HR, directors, heads of departments and individual employees. While HR must provide the policies, systems, tools and support, managers must provide leadership, coaching and feedback, while employees must take ownership of their responsibilities and performance.
The three-day programme combined professional development with activities designed to encourage interaction and recognise staff contributions. It featured a football competition, a workshop for administrative staff introducing the new HR T-Model, and an HR Clinic session where employees had an opportunity to engage on human resource-related matters.
The closing ceremony, which had top management, heads of departments, and unit heads in attendance, also included awards recognising staff for excellent performance, attendance and punctuality, as well as gifts for the best-dressed staff members, with cleaners, security personnel and other support staff included among those recognised.
