The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has revealed plans to review and increase the salaries of President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, senators, ministers, and other top political office holders.
RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, made this known during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, arguing that the current salary structure for Nigeria’s leaders is “untenable and unrealistic.” He noted that while responsibilities and economic challenges have grown over the years, the salary structure has remained the same since 2008.
“You cannot pay the President of Nigeria N1.5 million monthly with a population of over 200 million people and expect it to be taken seriously,” Shehu said. He further pointed out that certain government agency heads earn ten to twenty times more than the President or the Attorney-General of the Federation, describing the imbalance as “absolutely not right.”
But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has swiftly condemned the proposal, warning that it would be unfair and insensitive to increase the salaries of politicians when ordinary Nigerians are struggling under the weight of inflation, fuel price hikes, and deepening poverty.
The labour body stressed that leaders should prioritize policies that reduce the cost of living and improve workers’ welfare, instead of seeking pay raises for themselves.
