LAGOS — Amid rising hardship in the country, stakeholders are urging the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to suspend its plans to review the salaries of political office holders in Nigeria.
RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu revealed on Monday that President Bola Tinubu currently earns N1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than N1 million, salaries which have remained unchanged since 2008. He argued that such pay is inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated given rising responsibilities and economic pressures.
Shehu further noted the disparity, pointing out that officials like the CBN governor or certain agency heads earn 10 to 20 times more than the President or Attorney-General, calling it unfair.
However, the proposal to raise salaries sparked widespread backlash, with critics labeling it provocative, selfish, and poorly timed. Opposition came from groups and individuals including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Northern CAN, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), African Democratic Congress (ADC), NNPP, CUPP, former NACCIMA President Otunba Dele Oye, APGA founder Chief Chekwas Okorie, among others.
ACF spokesman Professor Tukur Baba, speaking personally, condemned the plan as “disappointing, insensitive, and provocative,” stressing that given the nation’s economic hardship, what is needed is not an upward review but a drastic reduction in political office-holders’ pay.
He further noted that the move was “insensitive, as it disregards the prevailing realities where nearly 60 percent of Nigerians endure multi-dimensional poverty, while more than 75 percent survive on meagre incomes that barely cover basic necessities.”
