The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has hinted at a possible salary increase for top government officials, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, senators, ministers, and other political office holders.
RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, stressing that the current salary structure—unchanged since 2008—was “untenable” given the growing responsibilities of public officials and the country’s economic realities.
“You cannot pay the President of Nigeria ₦1.5 million monthly in a country of over 200 million people and expect it to be taken seriously,” Shehu said.
“Today, you find a CBN governor or an agency director-general earning ten to twenty times more than the President or even the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is fundamentally wrong.”
He argued that the wage disparity undermines the dignity of public office and fuels distortions in the country’s pay structure.
However, the proposal has already sparked fierce criticism from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which described the move as unjust and insensitive.
The NLC warned that it would be unacceptable for politicians to receive higher pay while ordinary Nigerians continue to grapple with inflation, rising living costs, and widespread poverty.
“How can leaders be considering salary increments for themselves when millions of workers and citizens can barely afford basic necessities?” the union queried.
The development comes amid growing public frustration over economic hardship, subsidy removal, and the soaring cost of living, issues that have dominated national discourse since the beginning of Tinubu’s administration.
