Nigerians Furious Over Plan To Review Salaries Of Political Office-holders
Reaction has continued to trail the proposed plans to review the salaries of political office-holders in Nigeria by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC
In view of the hardship in the country, some stakeholders have asked the RMAFC to shelve its plans in the interest of Nigerians.
The RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, had on Monday, reportedly hinted at the plan and described the current earnings of the President and other political office occupants as inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated in the face of rising responsibilities and economic challenges.
According to Shehu, President Bola Tinubu currently earns N1.5m monthly, ministers less than N1million which, he said, had remained unchanged since 2008.
“You are paying the President N1.5million a month. Everybody believes that it is a joke. 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 D-G 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 had said.
However, Shehu’s proposal, yesterday, elicited sharp opposition in the polity, with some saying it was provocative, insensitive, selfish and wrongly timed.
Among those who spoke on the issue are the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF; former President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Otunba Dele Oye; founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie; African Democratic Congress, ADC; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP; and the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP.
The National Publicity Secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum, Professor Tukur Baba, described the proposed salary increase for political office holders as “disappointing, insensitive and provocative.”
Baba said the plan was “disappointing because, given the state of the economy and the hardships faced by the populace, political office-holders are least deserving of any upward review unless it is in the direction of drastic reduction in their earnings.”
The immediate past President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Otunba Dele Oye, said the timing of the proposed review is wrong and could send the wrong message to the larger economy.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC urged the Federal Government to suspend the proposed salary increase for political office holders, describing the move as ‘tone-deaf’ and an ‘affront’ to Nigerians facing severe economic hardship.
In a statement, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the plan is ill-timed and insensitive, given the realities ordinary Nigerians face.
He acknowledged RMAFC’s constitutional mandate but argued that pushing for higher salaries now shows a “glaring disconnect’ between government and the people.
The party stresses that political leaders already enjoy huge allowances, perks, and discretionary funds that far exceed the minimum wage of N70,000, a figure weakened by inflation and often unpaid.
Also speaking, Elder Sunday Oibe of Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, said: “Nothing can be more wicked, cruel and selfish like the thought of increasing the salaries of political office holders.
On its part, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP slammed the proposal, describing it as “insensitive and unconscionable” in the face of deepening economic hardship.
The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, said in Abuja that the move exposes the disconnect between the political elite and the daily struggles of Nigerians.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP shared similar views and described the proposal as insensitive to the current struggles faced by Nigerians amid ongoing economic challenges.
The South-West leader of NNPP, Olufemi Oguntoyinbo, in a statement, says many Nigerians are enduring unprecedented hardship due to the harsh economic climate, asserting that political office-holders should be making sacrifices, rather than seeking pay rises.
To the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, any move to increase the emoluments of political officers holders at this time could trigger an upheaval because it would be insensitive to the feelings of a majority of Nigerians.
Related Posts:
According to him, most citizens are currently suffering deprivations on account of the policy decisions of politicians in power.
