Why We Are Rooting For 114% Increase In Salaries Of Elected Politicians – RMAFC Defends

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), has recommended for the salaries of political/elected public office holders in Nigeria to be increased by 114%.

These public office holders include, the president, vice president, federal and state lawmakers, governors and judicial officers (the legislators, executives and judiciary).

The salary increment recommendation was disclosed on Tuesday, June 20, by the RMAFC Chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, represented by a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, while presenting the reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris.

He maintained that the review of remuneration packages is in accordance with the provision of paragraph 32(d) of part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution of the federal government (as amended), adding that the implementation of the new packages became effective from January 1, 2023.

“It empowers (the constitution) the revenue mobilisation, allocation and fiscal commission to determine the remuneration appropriate for political office holders, including the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, ministers, commissioners, special advisers, legislators and the holders of the offices mentioned in sections 84 and 124 of the constitution of the federal government.

“Sixteen years after the last review, it is imperative that the remuneration packages for the categories of the office holders mentioned in relevant sections of the 1999 constitution (as amended) should be reviewed.

“Pursuant to the above, your excellency may please recall that on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023, the commission held a one-day zonal public hearing on the review of the remuneration package simultaneously in all the six geo-political zones of the country. The aim of the exercise was to harvest inputs/ideas from a broad spectrum of stakeholders.”

“The subjective criteria reflected the various expression by stakeholders through memoranda received, opinion expressed during the zonal public hearings and responses to questionnaires administered.

“The objectives of the criteria were obtained from analysis of macro-economic variables particularly the Consumer Price Index (CPI),” RMAFC boss said.

He added that with respect to the judicial office holders, the commission considered the introduction of two new allowances:

• Professional Development Assistant: This is to allow for the provision of two law clerks to all judicial officers in the country.
• Long Service Allowance: This is to guarantee seniority/hierarchy between officers who have been on the bench for a minimum of five years and those that are appointed newly.

This proposed increment however, requires approval from the National Assembly, the president and other cabinet members.

Speaking further on the issue while featuring on Arise TV on Wednesday night, a Federal Commissioner of the RMAFC, Mr. Hassan Usman, said the Commission only recommended increase of basic salaries and not allowances of public office holders.

According to the commissioner, “The consumer price index is for everybody; private and the public”, adding that the scenario formed part of their consideration for the increment.

Usman argued that the salary of Nigeria’s President is one of the lowest when compared to other presidents, adding that the annual salary of the president falls around N7 million.

“We didn’t increase the allowances all what we did was increase the basic salary and then of course the allowances are there the way they are, they are only commensurately percentages of the basic salary,” he said.

He further explained that the reviews are in four volumes, involving the federal government and the Federal Capital Territory on one hand and the governors, state legislators as well as local governments on the other.

“Volume one entails the review of the federal government and the FCT , volume two for the state government and the local government, volume three is for the judiciary from top to bottom and volume four; is for the legislature, from the federal legislature to the state and even local government council.

“The volumes are there, we have submitted them, they are just recommendations. We have submitted to the office of Mr President and he is going to take them to the National Assembly for the federal government and FCT and those for the states would be legislated upon by the state houses of assembly”, he added.