The Federal Government has disclosed plans to review the salaries and allowances of political office holders across the country.
The move is being championed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which insists that the current pay structure for top public officials is outdated, inadequate, and no longer reflects the realities of governance in Africa’s most populous nation.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, August 18, the Chairman of the Commission, Mohammed Shehu, explained that the last upward adjustment of salaries for political, judicial, and legislative office holders was made in 2008—seventeen years ago.
Since then, successive governments have operated with the same pay scale despite rising inflation, currency depreciation, and growing national responsibilities.
According to Shehu, President Bola Tinubu currently earns only ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers take home less than ₦1 million.
He described this as shockingly low for leaders entrusted with steering the affairs of a nation with more than 200 million citizens.
“You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ₦1.5 million a month, with a population of over 200 million people.
Everybody believes that it is a joke,” Shehu stated, insisting that such figures no longer match the weight of responsibilities carried by political leaders.
The RMAFC boss highlighted the glaring disparities in Nigeria’s public pay structure.
He noted that while the president and ministers earn relatively modest salaries, some heads of government agencies and parastatals receive ten to twenty times more. This, he argued, creates an imbalance that undermines the morale of political leaders.
“You cannot pay a minister less than ₦1 million per month since 2008 and expect him to do his best without necessarily being involved in some other things.
“You pay either a CBN governor or a DG ten times more than the President. That is just not right.
“Or you pay him twenty times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right,” Shehu lamented.
While acknowledging that public perception often assumes politicians earn far more than disclosed, Shehu clarified that official salaries are separate from allowances and other statutory entitlements, sometimes giving the impression of inflated earnings.
He also used the occasion to explain the commission’s constitutional role, noting that RMAFC is empowered only to determine the salaries of political, judicial, and legislative office holders.
He said that matters relating to the minimum wage of civil servants or workers in the broader public sector fall outside the commission’s mandate.
“We are strictly restricted to political office holders, governors, senators, legislators, ministers, DGs, and others,” he emphasised.
“The issue of minimum wage for civil servants is outside our jurisdiction.”
However, the announcement of a possible upward review has been greeted with outrage from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The labour body strongly opposed the move, arguing that it is insensitive to the plight of ordinary Nigerians who continue to struggle under worsening economic hardship, high inflation, and stagnant wages.
In a swift reaction, the NLC accused the commission of ignoring the country’s widening inequality gap.
It said political leaders already enjoy a wide range of hidden perks—such as housing, security, travel, and constituency allowances—that extend their actual benefits far beyond their official pay.
According to the union, further increments would only deepen social injustice while ordinary workers agitate for a living wage.
Labour leaders have consistently argued that Nigeria’s wage structure is skewed in favour of the political elite.
They maintain that instead of prioritising salary increases for politicians, the government should focus on addressing workers’ welfare, creating jobs, and providing relief measures for millions of citizens currently trapped in poverty.
Shehu, however, defended the commission’s position, stressing that the review is long overdue. He maintained that Nigeria cannot continue to undervalue its top political leaders while agency heads and technocrats receive disproportionately higher pay.
He emphasised that the review’s objective is not to enrich politicians but to create fairness, balance, and motivation across the political class.
The unfolding debate has again brought Nigeria’s remuneration structure for public officials under scrutiny.
While political office holders argue that their salaries have stagnated for nearly two decades, organised labour and civil society insist that the conversation should instead focus on raising the minimum wage for ordinary workers bearing the brunt of economic hardship.