Human rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has called for a radical overhaul of the Nigerian police wage structure, insisting that no police officer should earn less than ₦500,000 monthly in a country where senators reportedly earn over ₦30 million per month.
Sowore made the statement during an interview on Channels Television’s flagship programme, The Morning Brief, on Wednesday, where he criticised the longstanding economic disparity between Nigerian lawmakers and frontline security personnel.
“We’re concerned about the people who are really doing the work,” Sowore said. “It is time for us to be on their side—to ensure that they are well paid, well protected, and when they are no longer in service, they don’t become paupers or beg for survival.”
He noted the irony in the fact that low-paid officers are responsible for protecting high-earning politicians, many of whom preside over national budgets yet allegedly fail to advocate for decent police welfare.
Sowore argued that the rank and file of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have remained chronically underpaid, under-equipped, and poorly treated—factors that have contributed to the widespread insecurity, extortion, and low morale in the force.
“When a senator earns ₦30 million a month in a system where the average police officer earns less than ₦50,000, it tells you the priorities of the political class. Those who risk their lives for national security deserve dignity and decent pay.”
This is not Sowore’s first time drawing attention to issues of inequality, systemic corruption, and misgovernance in Nigeria. As a longtime activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, he has consistently advocated for restructuring Nigeria’s bloated governance costs, and redirecting resources toward frontline workers, including teachers, health workers, and security agents.
He reiterated the call for a living wage, stressing that improved police remuneration is not just about welfare but also about national security and justice delivery.
“If you want a professional police force that respects human rights and enforces the law fairly, you must start by treating officers like human beings—pay them well, train them, house them, and ensure they have post-service security.”
Sowore’s remarks come amid growing public scrutiny of the National Assembly’s opaque budget, the widening gap between lawmakers’ privileges and citizens’ living standards, and calls for police and civil service reform in the wake of economic hardship and high youth unemployment.
While the federal government has made promises to reform the police following the 2020 #EndSARS protests, critics like Sowore argue that no meaningful progress can be made without addressing the financial exploitation and structural injustice embedded in the system.
