Sahel International Journal of Administration and Governance (SIJAG)
Influence of Monetary and Non-Monetary Incentives on Employee Performance in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Adamawa State, Nigeria
Mohammed Maikudi — Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria
Tijani Yunusa — Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria
Hyella Jonah — Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria
* Corresponding author
Sahel International Journal of Administration and Governance (SIJAG) · Vol. 1 No. 2 (2026)
· pp. 95-104
Published 2 November 2026
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Published 2 November 2026
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Abstract
Employee performance is essential to the effective delivery of teaching, research, administration and student services in tertiary institutions. This study examined the influence of six monetary and non-monetary incentive dimensions on employee performance in three public tertiary institutions in Adamawa State, Nigeria. The monetary dimensions were salaries and wages, fringe benefits, and leave allowance; the non monetary dimensions were recognition, work environment, and career development. A quantitative cross sectional survey design was adopted. The study population comprised 3,552 employees of Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Federal College of Education Yola, and Adamawa State College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Ganye. A sample of 360 employees was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Of 335 questionnaires returned, 314 were retained for regression analysis. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.848 to 0.907. The multiple regression model was statistically significant, F(6, 307) = 200.350, p < 0.001, and explained 79.7% of the variance in employee performance (R² = 0.797; adjusted R² = 0.793). All six predictors had positive and statistically significant coefficients: salaries and wages (β = 0.112, p = 0.010), fringe benefits (β = 0.258, p < 0.001), leave allowance (β = 0.183, p < 0.001), recognition (β = 0.266, p < 0.001), work environment (β = 0.090, p = 0.035), and career development (β = 0.122, p = 0.003). Recognition had the largest standardised coefficient, followed by fringe benefits. The findings suggest that employee performance is associated with a combination of financial rewards, welfare provisions, recognition, supportive working conditions and development opportunities. Given the cross-sectional design, the results are interpreted as statistical associations rather than definitive causal effects.
Keywords: career development, employee performance, fringe benefits, monetary incentives, non monetary incentives, recognition, tertiary institutions