The Federal Government is considering raising the salaries of President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, ministers, senators, and other political office holders.
The proposal was put forward by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, monitored by The News Chronicle on Monday, RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu stated that the current salary structure is outdated and no longer realistic.
He explained that salaries for political leaders have not been reviewed since 2008, despite growing responsibilities and economic challenges.
According to Shehu, President Tinubu currently earns about N1.5 million monthly, while ministers earn less than N1 million.
He argued that this is far below what is appropriate, especially when compared to the much higher salaries of some government agency heads and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“You cannot pay the President of Nigeria N1.5m monthly in a country of over 200 million people and expect it to be taken seriously,” he said. “It is wrong for some agency heads to earn 10 or 20 times more than the President or the Attorney-General of the Federation.”
However, the plan has faced strong opposition from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The NLC argued that increasing salaries for politicians while ordinary Nigerians suffer from inflation and poverty is unfair. A senior NLC official said the real problem is not the basic salaries but the huge allowances and perks politicians receive.
“The President may officially earn N1.5m, but with allowances, his total package can exceed N100m. If government wants to be transparent, it should publish allowances too,” he said.
Labour also condemned the huge income gap between politicians and ordinary workers. While lawmakers reportedly earn up to N30m monthly, the minimum wage is N70,000, and university professors earn less than N400,000.
The union warned that this inequality is destroying the middle class and worsening poverty.
“Good leadership means being sensitive to the people’s suffering. If politicians continue to put themselves first, this country could implode and when that happens, even the elite will have nowhere to run,” the NLC official warned.
Shehu clarified that RMAFC does not set the minimum wage for workers but is responsible for fixing the pay of political, judicial, and legislative office holders.
He insisted that fair pay is necessary to promote accountability and reduce corruption.
He also revealed that RMAFC has begun reviewing Nigeria’s revenue allocation formula, which has not been changed since 1992.
Currently, the Federal Government takes 52.68 per cent, states 26.72 per cent, and local governments 20.60 per cent, with 4.18 per cent set aside for special funds.
Shehu said the review is necessary because recent constitutional changes have given states more financial responsibilities.
He promised that the process would be “inclusive, data-driven, and transparent.”
