By Adedapo Adesanya

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Christopher Maikalangu, as the winner of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) election, held on Saturday.

The results for the keenly observed municipal chairmanship poll were announced at the INEC area office in Karu at about 4:30 a.m on Sunday.

The Collation Officer for AMAC, Mr Andrew Abue, said that Mr Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected, having scored the highest number of votes cast, 40,295 out of the total number of valid votes of 62,861 in the election.

“That Maikalangu of the APC, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” he declared.

Mr Abue stated that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to him, a professor, the rejected votes were 2,336, and the total valid votes were 62,861, while the total votes cast were 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

According to him, the scores of the political parties and their candidates that contested the AMAC chairmanship election are:

Agbon Vaniah of the Accord (A) – 403 votes

Nemiebika Tamunomiesam of the Action Alliance (AA) – 108 votes

Paul Ogidi of African Democratic Congress (ADC) – 12,109 votes

Richard Elizabeth of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) – 588 votes

Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) – 40,295 votes

Eze Chukwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – 1,111 votes

Chukwu Promise of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) – 122 votes

Ugoh Michael of the Action Peoples Party(APP) – 32 votes

Thomas Happiness of the Boot Party (BP) – 43 votes

Jibrin Alhassan of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – 1,694 votes

Samson Usani of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) – 73 votes

Dantani Zanda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – 3,398 votes

Iber Shimakaha of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) – 90 votes

Simon Obinna of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) – 2,185 votes

Madaki Robert of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) – 421 votes

Swani Buba of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) – 189 votes.

Salary benchmarking is the systematic process of comparing an organization’s pay rates, bonus programs, and total rewards against market standards. This article walks through why benchmarking matters, how to prepare and run an analysis, the best data sources and tools, and how to turn findings into defensible pay structures and ongoing processes.

Why Salary Benchmarking Matters For Online Businesses And Agencies

Without benchmarking, organizations risk three costly outcomes: underpaying (leading to high turnover and loss of institutional knowledge), overpaying (inflating fixed costs and reducing agility), or misallocating compensation across roles (creating internal inequities and morale problems).

For agencies that pitch retainer-driven services, predictable labor costs tied to market rates enable healthier margins and clearer pricing decisions. For in-house ecommerce teams, benchmarking supports workforce planning when launching new product lines or scaling paid acquisition efforts.

Finally, benchmarking is not only financial: it signals professionalism to candidates.

Key Data Sources And Tools For Accurate Benchmarks

High-quality benchmarking blends public data, commercial platforms, and human intelligence.

Public Government And Aggregated Salary Data

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) or national equivalents provide reliable occupational wage ranges, useful for baseline comparisons and compliance checks.

Industry Surveys, Salary Platforms, And Niche Reports

Platforms such as Payscale, Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, and specialized reports for marketing and tech roles give role- and location-specific distributions.

Recruiter Intelligence And Peer Networks

Recruiters and hiring agencies provide real-time insight into candidate expectations and accepted offers. Professional networks, Slack communities, and agency owner peer groups can also offer current market anecdotes that databases miss.

Internal Payroll Data And Turnover Metrics

Historical payroll, hiring velocity, offer-acceptance rates, and exit interview themes help normalize market data against internal realities. Using multiple inputs helps find a defensible midpoint.

How To Conduct A Benchmark Analysis Step By Step

A repeatable process keeps benchmarking actionable and defensible.

1. Gather data from at least three sources: one government/aggregate, one commercial salary platform, and one recruiter/peer input.
2. Normalize data for location and experience. Convert salaries to equivalent cost-of-living or remote-adjusted values if the company has distributed teams.
3. Adjust for total compensation. Include expected bonus, commissions, equity, and benefits to compare total rewards, not just base pay.
4. Build a comparison table with target percentiles (25th, 50th, 75th) for each role and highlight gaps vs. current pay.
5. Prioritize changes. Use a matrix that weighs business impact, retention risk, and budget feasibility to recommend immediate, near-term, and deferred adjustments.

This framework produces a clear narrative: where pay is behind, how much closing the gap will cost, and which adjustments will most protect revenue and client delivery.

Translating Benchmark Results Into Pay Structures And Budgets

Benchmark results must become predictable pay structures.

Normalize Data For Location, Experience, And Role Level

Apply consistent location multipliers and level definitions (junior, mid, senior, lead) so internal fairness stands up to scrutiny.

Build Pay Bands, Ranges, And Target Percentiles

Create bands with minimums, midpoints, and maximums tied to the chosen target percentiles. Bands help managers make consistent offer decisions and reduce bias.

Model Total Cost Of Hire And Budget Impact

Factor in employer taxes, benefits, onboarding costs, and ramp time. Present scenarios that show both absolute costs and return-on-investment when a higher-paid senior reduces client churn or improves campaign ROI.

Design Salary Bands, Bonus Structures, And Noncash Benefits

Consider sales- or performance-linked bonuses for account managers and revenue-attributed roles. Align Compensation To Performance, Retention, And Career Paths

Tie movements within bands to objective competency milestones (e.g., “strategic link acquisition that improves DR by X points” or “reduced time-to-rank for client cohort”), creating transparent merit progression that drives retention.

Communicating, Implementing, And Ensuring Pay Equity

Change management is as important as the numbers.

Gain Leadership Buy-In And Set Change Management Steps

Present benchmarking findings with clear ROI scenarios and phased implementation options. Leadership will respond to cost/benefit clarity, show how targeted raises stabilize revenue-generating roles.

Communicate Changes To Employees And Handle Pushback

Be transparent about methodology and timelines. Provide managers with scripts explaining why adjustments are happening and how employees can progress to higher bands.

Document Compliance, Pay Equity, And Recordkeeping Practices

Maintain audit-ready records of data sources, decision rationales, and salary matrices. Regularly run pay-equity checks by gender, race, and tenure to avoid legal and moral risks.

Thoughtful communication reduces rumors and ensures raises are seen as strategic investments, not arbitrary rewards.

Ongoing Monitoring: KPIs, Review Cadence, And Market Adjustments

Benchmarking isn’t a one-off. It requires monitoring and simple KPIs.

Track Competitive Positioning, Turnover, And Time To Fill

KPIs should include average comp vs. market percentile, voluntary turnover by role, offer-acceptance rate, and time-to-fill for critical positions. These metrics signal when the market has shifted.

Schedule Regular Reviews And Trigger-Based Market Rechecks

A typical cadence is an annual formal benchmark with quarterly spot checks for priority roles. Trigger-based rechecks, when turnover spikes, when offer-acceptance drops below a threshold, or when the market is disrupted, keep pay competitive between formal cycles.

With a small set of KPIs and a clear review cadence, agencies and online businesses can avoid reactive panic hires and keep compensation aligned with strategy and market reality.

Conclusion

Salary benchmarking equips online businesses and agencies to hire and retain the right talent without sacrificing profitability. When done well, benchmarking clarifies where to invest, makes offers defensible, and reduces turnover among roles that materially affect client outcomes and rankings.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Bureau of Public Procurement(BPP) said the ongoing procurement reforms saved the federal government over N1.1 trillion between January and December 2025.

The Director-General of the bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, revealed this while defending the agency’s 2026 budget before the Senate Committee on Public Procurement in Abuja on Thursday.

The bureau also reported reduced contract approval timelines, additional cost savings, and tougher sanctions imposed on erring contractors and non-compliant government officials.

Mr Adedokun appealed for increased budgetary allocation in 2026 to enhance service delivery, create jobs, and strengthen institutional capacity for procurement oversight.

He further revealed that the bureau received N4.032 billion in 2025 and sought higher funding to reinforce anti-corruption efforts under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate Committee, Mr Olajide Ipinsagba, a lawmaker from Ondo North, underscored the bureau’s strategic role in driving socioeconomic development and promoting fiscal discipline.

Mr Ipinsagba assured the agency of legislative support while urging strict accountability and prudent utilisation of public funds allocated for its operations.

BPP reforms were committed to deepening transparency, compliance, and efficiency in Nigeria’s public procurement system. Some of them include adherence to a 21-day timeline, as mandated by the Public Procurement Act 2007. Also, the BPP is required to review cases, issue a written decision within 21 working days of receiving the complaints, and state the corrective actions, reasons for rejection, or remedies granted.

There are also plans to streamline approval processes, standardise documentation, and automate workflows to ensure timely and transparent procurement decisions.