The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission’s (RMAFC) proposal to increase the salaries of President Bola Tinubu, ministers, and other elected political office holders has triggered widespread outrage across Nigeria. Opposition parties, labour unions, and civil society groups have roundly condemned the move, calling it insensitive, unjust, and ill-timed in light of the country’s harsh economic realities.
At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, defended the proposed review, insisting that Nigeria’s top political leaders have been underpaid for more than a decade. He disclosed that President Tinubu currently earns ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than ₦1 million, figures that have remained unchanged since 2008.
“You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ₦1.5m 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 ₦1m per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best. Meanwhile, heads of agencies like the CBN governor earn ten times more than the President. That is not right.”
The commission has since argued that its proposal is aimed at ensuring equity and motivating political leaders. But critics insist that the timing could not have been worse, as millions of Nigerians struggle with poverty, inflation, and eroding purchasing power.
Prominent voices from opposition parties were quick to dismiss the proposal as a betrayal of public trust.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George, condemned the move, describing it as a selfish and insensitive attitude by the RMAFC.
“This is a very insensitive attitude. The people are hungry, and between the people and the government, who should sacrifice for the other?” George asked. “Families are unable to pay school fees or afford basic needs. That should bother these leaders, not an increase in their own salaries.”
The Labour Party (LP) also faulted the plan. Its chieftain and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Tanko Yunusa, described it as embarrassing. “This is not the right time to increase salaries for elected office holders when civil servants remain grossly underpaid,” he said. “Our leaders should remember that theirs is a call to service, not self-enrichment.”
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) expressed similar concerns, warning that higher salaries for politicians could worsen Nigeria’s inflation crisis. National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, said the RMAFC had failed to consider the economic suffering of Nigerians.
“Instead of rewarding themselves, they should come up with measures to improve the living conditions of the poor masses,” Johnson argued.
For the Young Progressives Party (YPP), the proposal amounted to “a shameless overreach.” Party spokesperson, Wale Egbeola-Martins, described it as “a reward for incompetence and proof of the political elite’s detachment from the suffering masses.” He added that until the government prioritises workers’ welfare and delivers real economic relief, any salary increase for politicians would remain “illegitimate, provocative, and unacceptable.”
CUPP, ADC, and Civil Society Raise Alarm
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) described the commission’s move as a scandalous misstep. National Secretary, Peter Ameh, said:
“The RMAFC’s reckless haste in prioritising the greedy appetites of public officials over the desperate needs of the masses is condemnable. This is not governance—it’s a shameless grab for more at the expense of Nigeria’s struggling majority.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) echoed the sentiment, warning that the government has no moral right to demand sacrifice from ordinary citizens while political elites shield themselves from hardship. “Such a move only underscores how disconnected the ruling class has become from the struggles of ordinary Nigerians,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said in a statement.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) also cautioned the RMAFC against focusing solely on political office holders. Its Director General, Auwal Rafsanjani, urged that Nigerian workers be included in any wage review, noting that subsidy removal had worsened poverty across education, healthcare, transportation, and housing.
Labour Unions Condemn Move
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which has been pushing for the full implementation of the new ₦70,000 minimum wage, strongly opposed the RMAFC’s plan.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described the proposal as “insensitive, inequitable, and unjust.” He noted that politicians already enjoy huge perks and allowances that ordinary workers could only dream of.
“This exercise is coming at a time of salary freezes in most public subsectors and the continued struggle to implement a ₦70,000 minimum wage,” Ajaero said. “In previous reviews, civil servants received less than 50 percent increments, while political office holders saw increases of over 800 percent. This cannot continue.”
The union leader demanded transparency on the current earnings of all political office holders, including allowances, and warned that proceeding with the salary increase could trigger widespread public resistance.
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Nigerians Question Priorities
For many Nigerians, the controversy has reignited longstanding debates about inequality, governance, and leadership ethics. Critics argue that political office is supposed to be a call to service, not an avenue for personal enrichment.
At a time when inflation is at historic highs, unemployment remains widespread, and millions live below the poverty line, the focus, they say, should be on alleviating hardship, not rewarding politicians.
Civil servants, teachers, health workers, and security personnel remain underpaid despite being the backbone of national development. By contrast, political leaders already enjoy official residences, fleets of cars, security details, travel allowances, and constituency allocations that insulate them from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.
Opponents of the RMAFC plan insist that true leadership requires sacrifice and empathy, and that political elites must lead by example by tightening their belts before asking struggling Nigerians to endure more hardship.
As calls for transparency and fairness grow louder, pressure continues to mount on the Federal Government to reject the proposal or ensure that any salary review extends equitably to ordinary workers. Until then, the debate over the moral and economic justification for higher political salaries is likely to remain one of the most contentious issues in Nigeria’s public discourse.
