NLC Kicks As FG Considers Salary Increase For Political Office Holders In Nigeria

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has disclosed plans to review the salaries political office holders in Nigeria.

But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) rejected the increment, saying politicians already earn far more than the public is told.

During a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu said their payment has remained outdated since 2008 despite mounting responsibilities and economic pressures.

Shehu revealed that President Bola Tinubu currently earns N1.5 million monthly, while ministers take home less than N1 million.

He described the figures as “unrealistic” when compared to the size of the country and the weight of the offices.

“You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria N1.5m a month, with a population of over 200 million people. Everybody believes that it is a joke,” Shehu said.

“You cannot pay a minister less than N1m 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 DG ten times more than you pay the President. That is just not right.

“Or you pay him [the head of an agency] twenty times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right.”

He stressed that the commission’s mandate covers only political, legislative, and judicial office holders , not civil servants or public sector workers.

Shehu urged Nigerians to support the review, arguing that fair pay for political leaders could reduce corruption and encourage better performance.

“We are strictly restricted to political office holders, governors, senators, legislators, ministers, DGs, and other people,” he explained.

Shehu also noted that despite public hostility towards pay increases for politicians, it was important to maintain realistic remuneration that reflected their responsibilities.

“It’s about time that people like you and others should support the commission to come up with reasonable living salaries for ministers, DGs, and the President,” he said.

Nigeria’s organised labour criticised RMAFC’s plan to increase the salaries of political office holders, saying the proposal ignores the country’s worsening inequality and the hidden perks that already inflate earnings in government.

An NLC official told PUNCH that although the President’s salary is N1.5m, his total package could exceed N100m when extras such as medical care, housing, travel, security, and internet services are added.

“The President’s salary may be about N1.5m a month, but when allowances are added, the total package can exceed N100 million,” said the NLC high-ranking official who did not want his name mentioned due to a lack of authorisation to speak on the matter.

“Allowances for medical care, housing, digital services, internet access, security, travel, and even COVID-related expenses are all buried in the system.

“If the government can publish the president’s salary, then it should also publish these allowances, because that is where the true burden lies.”

Nigerian workers are still grappling with the high cost of living, making it difficult to survive on the minimum wage, even as inflation shows signs of easing.

The union accused political leaders of living in luxury while millions of citizens sink deeper into poverty.

It cited claims that senators and House of Representatives members earn up to N30m monthly, while civil servants are paid a minimum wage of N70,000, and professors take home less than N400,000.

“This inequality has destroyed the middle class and pushed millions into poverty, leaving citizens frustrated and disillusioned,” the official stated.

The union said the cost of governance was being inflated by frequent foreign trips and overseas medical care for top officials, for which they still receive allowances.

It argued that the billions spent on perks should instead go into equipping local hospitals, fixing schools, and creating jobs.

“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 executive warned.

Beyond salaries, Shehu also revealed that RMAFC has begun a fresh review of Nigeria’s revenue-sharing formula, which has not been updated since 1992.

KanyiDaily recalls that President Tinubu’s aide, Dele Alake previously said his principal has not approved salary increase for political and judicial office holders.