The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project have raised strong opposition to the proposed upward review of salaries for political and public office holders across the country.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission announced last week that it would carry out a comprehensive review of the remuneration structure for the President, Vice-President, ministers, governors, lawmakers, and other top political leaders.
According to the commission, the current pay structure, which has remained unchanged since 2008, was described as “paltry” and inadequate for the level of responsibility carried by political office holders.
The Chairman of RMAFC, Mohammed Bello Shehu, speaking to journalists in Abuja, explained that President Bola Tinubu currently earns N1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than N1 million. He argued that these amounts were a “joke” when compared to Nigeria’s population size, economy, and governance demands.
Shehu pointed out that heads of agencies and the Central Bank governor earn between 10 to 20 times more than the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation. He insisted, “It’s about time that people support the commission to come up with reasonable living salaries for ministers, DGs and the president.”
The NLC, however, rejected this argument. In a statement released on Sunday by its President, Joe Ajaero, the union described the proposal as “insensitive, unjust, inequitable and provocative.” The statement warned that increasing political salaries would worsen poverty levels and widen inequality in Nigeria.
The NLC said, “We have listened with a growing apprehension to the justification for this ill-advised adventure by the Chairman of RMAFC, Mr Mohammed Usman, but we find it appropriate to warn that making public office a sanctuary for wealth-making (for literally doing nothing) instead of service and sacrifice will raise the stakes and desperation for political positions with intended and unintended consequences, including self-extinction.”
The union dismissed Shehu’s defense as “puerile” and “an insult to the collective intelligence of Nigerians.” It argued that political office holders already benefit from several advantages, allowances, and privileges, while ordinary Nigerians “live only on hopes and dreams.”
According to the NLC, the timing of the review was troubling because civil servants in several sectors face a salary freeze, while the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage remains uncertain in many states due to lack of resources.
The labour body recalled that the last review for civil servants was less than 50 per cent, whereas increases for political office holders exceeded 800 per cent.
Ajaero added, “Whereas with civil servants, wage reviews or promotions are dependent on resource availability, with political office holders this rule does not operate. We equally note with dismay that whereas states operate different pay structures for civil servants, the pay structures of political office holders are the same across the country. This explains why a councillor in Yobe State earns the same salary as a councillor in Rivers State.”
The union insisted that while fair wages were necessary, remuneration must be equitable and not discriminatory. It further described the planned increase as a form of economic apartheid, warning that such practices have no place in a fair society.
The NLC demanded transparency in the process, calling for the current earnings of all political office holders to be published, along with the benchmarks for the proposed review. It urged the RMAFC to suspend the exercise immediately to prevent public outrage, which it said could trigger a “tsunami.”
On its part, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project also voiced strong opposition. In a letter dated August 23, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group urged President Bola Tinubu to stop the salary hike, describing it as “patently unlawful and unconstitutional.”
SERAP called on the President to reject the proposal outright and advised his vice-president, governors, and lawmakers to do the same. The group stressed that raising political salaries at a time of widespread economic hardship would be unjustifiable.
The organisation urged the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to enforce an existing judgment by Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos. That ruling directed RMAFC to reduce the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members in line with Nigeria’s current economic realities.
SERAP said, “The RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates clearly do not imply unrestrained powers to increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers. Rather than cut the excessive allowances of political office holders and life pensions for former leaders, RMAFC is acting consistently to give advantage to politicians over the interests of poor Nigerians.”
The group argued that the review breached Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution on Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy and violated Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
It said suspending the review would serve the public interest, especially as over 133 million Nigerians are living in poverty, and many states struggle to pay civil servants and pensioners.
SERAP warned that if the government failed to stop the review within seven days, it would take legal action to enforce compliance.
However, the group expressed support for an upward review of judges’ salaries, noting that improved pay for judicial officers is critical to strengthening the independence of the judiciary and ensuring access to justice for victims of corruption and human rights violations.