By Bimbola Oyesola

The management and staff of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has lamented the poor salaries of its staff and the decaying infrastructure of the organization.

Speaking at a workshop conducted for nodal officers by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission in Lagos, the managing director and CEO, NAN, Mr. Buki Ponle, said staff salary was nothing to write home about and decadence of infrastructure was “alarming.”

“Apart from the challenge of inadequate infrastructure facing the agency, one other deplorable finding was the poor salaries and inadequate allowances of staff when compared to the volume and nature of work being undertaken by our workers,” he lamented.

The Managing Director/CEO who was represented by the Director, Finance and Account, Mr. Oladele Ojo stressed that, they had recourse to engage the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the statutory body mandated to lead the process on the lingering poor pay package of their members of staff.

He said the workers in the Agency deserve more than the cursory attention among its peers agencies under the Ministry of Information and Culture, as many of them have better pay packages than them.

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He affirmed that the Agency is the only national purveyor of information with clear cut mandate that places onerous responsibilities on them, he added “it is no exaggeration that we work laboriously to achieve results yet we receive so little”

He revealed that, with a monthly average of about 5,000 stories, 700 pictures, 100 videos and 50 audio clips transmitted to their clientele made up of about 300 public and corporate subscribers, the Agency has consistently remained the medium of choice.

The Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Barrister Ekpo Ata in his speech said, the government has declared that the days of jamboree are over as any agency agitating for salaries and improving welfare must also come to the table to improve and increase productivity.

The Chairman who was represented by the Director, Productivity, Prices and Incomes Department, Mr. Babtunde Oresanya averred that news credibility must be translated to money as the government is not interested in hazards because all jobs have it .

“This is the way we do It does not work and help anymore as effort must translate to productivity and creativity” he said.