FG Plans Salary Increase for Tinubu, Senators, Other Political Office Holders While Nigerian Voters Groan in Hunger, Abject Poverty 

FG Plans Salary Increase for Tinubu, Senators, Other Political Office Holders While Nigerian Voters Groan in Hunger, Abject Poverty

 

 

 

The Federal Government is considering a salary increase for President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, senators, ministers, and other political office holders, following a proposal by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

 

RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed the plan at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, stressing that the current salary structure, last reviewed in 2008, had become outdated and unrealistic.

 

According to Shehu, President Tinubu presently earns about N1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than N1 million. He argued that such figures are not commensurate with the weight of responsibilities attached to these offices, particularly when compared to the salaries of some heads of federal agencies and the Central Bank Governor.

 

“You cannot pay the President of Nigeria N1.5m monthly with a population of over 200 million people and expect it to be taken seriously,” Shehu said. “You pay either a CBN governor or the DG ten times more than you pay the President. That is just not right.”

 

However, the proposal has sparked outrage among Nigerians, especially organised labour, who described the move as insensitive and unjust at a time when millions of citizens are grappling with rising inflation, unemployment, and deepening poverty.

 

A senior Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) official faulted the justification for the salary review, noting that the official salaries of politicians are only a fraction of their total earnings once allowances and other perks are considered.

 

“The President’s salary may be N1.5m, but with allowances, the package can exceed N100m. If government can publish salaries, it should also publish allowances,” the labour leader said.

 

Labour further highlighted the widening income gap between politicians and ordinary workers. While lawmakers are believed to earn as much as N30m monthly, the new national minimum wage is pegged at N70,000, with university professors earning less than N400,000.

 

“Good leadership requires sensitivity to the people’s plight. If politicians continue to prioritise themselves over the nation, this country risks imploding. And if that happens, even the elite will not have a country to fall back on,” the source warned.

 

Shehu, however, clarified that the RMAFC is not responsible for fixing the minimum wage of civil servants but is constitutionally mandated to determine the pay of political, judicial, and legislative office holders. He maintained that realistic remuneration is crucial to ensuring accountability and curbing corruption.

 

In addition to the salary review, the RMAFC chairman revealed that the commission has also commenced work on reviewing Nigeria’s revenue allocation formula, which has not been adjusted since 1992.

 

The current sharing formula gives the Federal Government 52.68 per cent, states 26.72 per cent, and local governments 20.60 per cent, with 4.18 per cent reserved for special funds. Shehu said recent constitutional amendments had placed additional responsibilities on states, making a review both “equitable and sustainable.”

 

He added that past efforts under former presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari failed to materialise but assured that the current review would be “inclusive, data-driven, and transparent.”