By Chinelo Obogo
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) had unveiled its new Conditions of Service (CoS) which it says will attract and retain specialised talent required to prevent transport disasters.
During the unveiling of the CoS in Abuja this week, the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jnr., said that the document which has been approved by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, prioritises welfare and meritocracy. The NSIB said that for decades, the Nigerian public service has been slowed by the Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER), a system often criticised for being subjective and disconnected from actual productivity but that the new framework replaces this with a Performance Management System (PMS).
The NSIB has introduced trauma risk management and post-traumatic care where investigators impacted by their work will be entitled to “mental-day offs”.
Captain Badeh said: “This new charter ensures that our investigators are not only technically equipped but mentally and financially resilient. It addresses the economic realities of its workforce by providing aggressive financial tools designed to foster long-term stability and shield investigators from external pressures.
“The Bureau has also introduced vehicle loans equivalent to a full year’s total emolument, repayable over eight years at 5% interest rate, alongside housing loans structured with a 10-year repayment window. These incentives are complemented by a family-centric policy, featuring 112 working days of fully paid maternity leave and paternity leave provisions available up to four times during an officer’s tenure.”
The NSIB has also committed to extending full medical coverage to retirees and their families for three years post-service for those who have dedicated their careers to public safety.
Badeh said that by aligning its internal policies with global benchmarks such as the United Kingdom’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the NSIB is positioning itself as an elite peer in the international safety community.