Questionable Pay Rise for Political Office Holders

The recent proposal by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to raise the salaries of political office holders at a time when Nigerians are being urged to endure harsh economic realities triggered by government’s policies has sparked widespread outrage across the country,  Davidson Iriekpen writes

Negative reactions have continued to trail the recent proposal by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to increase the salaries of political office holders.

Various labour unions, opposition parties, senior lawyers, and civil society groups have all condemned the proposal, describing it as an act of insensitivity by the federal government towards the country’s productive working class.

The Chairman of RMAFC, Mohammed Shehu, had at a recent retreat in Kano, revealed plans to increase the wages of President Bola Tinubu and other political office holders.

He described the N1.5 million current monthly salary of the president  as grossly inadequate and unrealistic, given the prevailing economic situation in the country.

According to him, it is unacceptable that the salary of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is 10 times higher than that of the president.  He further argued that the present salaries of political officer holders have remained unchanged since 2008.

The RMAFC boss urged Nigerians to support the commission’s plan to create reasonable living salaries for the president, ministers and directors general of agencies.

 “You cannot pay a minister less than N1million per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things. You pay either a CBN governor or the deputy governor 10 times more than you pay the president. That is just not right. Or you pay him (the head of an agency) 20 times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right,” he argued.

The proposed pay hike will also benefit state governors who are already overseeing the treasuries of their states. Other beneficiaries of the wage increase include senators and other legislators.

The exercise will include a review of the extant revenue-sharing formula among the three tiers of government. The current sharing formula, which has been in place since 1992, allocates 52.68 per cent to the federal government, 26.72 per cent to the states, and 20.60 per cent to local governments.

The proposal, which came at a time when many Nigerians are demanding a reduction in the cost of governance, sparked outrage from critics who described it as provocative.

The country is currently experiencing its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, with food inflation reported to be very high.

Opposition politicians and other stakeholders, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other unions, were enraged by his comment and had vehemently vowed to resist it. 

When he assumed office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy and floated the exchange rate — policies that have driven inflation to record highs.

 As a result, many companies have shut down, while those still in operation are struggling to survive. At the same time, citizens are grappling with soaring electricity tariffs, and several employers have yet to implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000.      

In countries where their leaders are sensitive, they receive pay cuts when the economic situation is difficult in order to identify with the suffering masses. 

The Republic of Ireland for instance, had slashed ministerial salaries by 10 per cent during the 2008 financial crisis in that country. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, and her cabinet cut their salaries by 20 per cent. 

In the case of Nigeria, political office holders rather revel in profligacy in times of economic hardship. The president and governors cruise across the globe in new presidential and private jets while their convoys boast of exotic vehicles. 

Billions of naira were spent to renovate the presidential villa and Dodan Barracks for the president. In 2024, the vice president was handed over a new residence worth N21 billion.

This is why critics have advised that instead of increasing the wages of political office holders, the wages of Nigerian workers in private and public sectors should be significantly enhanced because they are the ones bearing the brunt of the harsh economic policies of the government.  

A recent report by the Cadre Harmonisé Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis, led by the federal government, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and other partners, projected that 33.1 million Nigerians would face high levels of food insecurity during the June–August 2025 lean season. This totals 34.7 million, the number of Nigerians at risk of hunger.

In July, a former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning in the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Clem Agba, had reiterated the validity of the multidimensional poverty survey he commissioned while in office, which put the population figure of multidimensionally poor Nigerians at 133 million, saying that the situation has not improved.

Also, analysts argued that the pay rise for political office holders at a time when President Tinubu urged Nigerians to endure the current economic challenges brought about by government’s policies is the height of insensitivity.

Unfortunately, the wage increase is being proposed when Nigerian federal lawmakers are reportedly earning the most stupendous allowances in Africa with an alleged monthly emolument of N21 million.

In 2024, former President Olusegun Obasanjo accused members of the National Assembly of fixing their salaries.

Many Nigerians are surprised that the RMAFC overlooked the hidden allowances and benefits enjoyed by public officers, which are more than their salaries. 

Unofficially, the Nigerian president is estimated to earn over N100 million monthly, with governors and other top officials also enjoying financial privileges at public expense.

Their cars are fuelled by the state; they travel abroad for medical treatment funded by taxpayers, and many benefit from security votes, and inflated contracts awarded to their cronies. 

Upon leaving office, several governors transition to the Senate, where they collect jumbo salaries and allowances in addition to life pensions running into hundreds of millions of naira from their states.

It is ironic that the workers who really should earn more, are currently earning less while those who should earn less, are earning more. 

The members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are currently mobilising for strike over poor welfare and some other issues. 

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) just returned to work. Recently, 25,000 nurses under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives embarked on a seven-day warning strike over welfare issues.

With the condemnations that have characterised the proposal, it will only be reasonable and just for the federal government to respond to the genuine concerns raised and halt the unpopular move in order not to further widen the gap between civil servants and political office holders.