The new plan to increase the salary of political office holders by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is ill-timed, insensitive and unnecessary. Chairman of the RMAFC, Mohammed Shehu, had recently hinted of plans to increase the wages of of President Bola Tinubu and other political office holders in Abuja. He described the current salary of N1.5 million that the President earns monthly as grossly inadequate and unrealistic, given the prevailing economic situation in the country.
The Commission had commenced a public retreat in Kano towards recommending a pay hike in the current salaries of political office holders. The RMAFC boss has urged Nigerians to support the commission’s plan to come up with reasonable living salaries for the President, ministers and Directors General of agencies. According to him, it is sad and unacceptable, that the salary of governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is ten times higher than that of the President. He further argued that the present salaries of political officer holders have remained unchanged since 2008.
The proposed pay hike will also benefit state governors who are already superintending over the treasuries of their states. Other beneficiaries of the wage increase include senators and other legislators. The exercise will include a review of the extant revenue-sharing formula among the three-tiers of government. The current sharing formula, which has been in place since 1992, allocates 52.68 per cent to the federal government, States, 26.72 per cent and Local governments, 20.60 percent.
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Most Nigerians, including opposition politicians and other stakeholders, have vehemently opposed the new pay raise, which is coming at a time millions of Nigerians are grappling with untold economic hardship, poverty and unemployment. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has equally opposed the ill-advised move. Unfortunately, the salary increase for politicians is coming at a time over 133million Nigerians are said to be multi-dimensionally poor and food inflation reported to be very high. Currently, most Nigerians are struggling with high fuel price, hiked electricity bill and exorbitant prices of food items. Even the government and many companies are yet to pay the new national minimum wage of N70,000.
Moreover, the political office holders have other juicy perks of office that even make the new pay raise unnecessary. Apart from their wages, they enjoy humongous allowances and other perquisites and luxury. Instead of increasing the wages of our political office holders, the wages of Nigerian workers in private and public sectors should be significantly enhanced. We say this because they are the ones bearing the brunt of harsh economic policies of the government.
However, the plan to review the current revenue-sharing formula to presumably favour the federating units is in order. Let the new formula favour the states and local governments which cater for more Nigerians than the federal government. Sections 70, 84, 111, and, 124, Paragraph 32 (d), Part 1 to the Third Schedule, of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), empower the RMAFC to make appropriate recommendations regarding salaries of political office holders. In exercising these powers, the Commission must also take into cognizance the state of the economy and the timing of the wage review. Unarguably, the timing of this proposal is wrong. In fact, the mere thought of a pay hike for politicians coming from the commission at this time that Nigeria’s debt profile is at all time high is ill-though-out.
Unfortunately, the wage increase is taking place when Nigerian lawmakers are reportedly earning the most stupendous allowances in Africa and living in obscene luxury, while millions of Nigerians are suffering. Those who seek political office should do so to serve the people selflessly and not to amass wealth.
We must discourage making political office job the highest paid in the country. Politics should never be made the most attractive business in Nigeria.
That is why we must deemphasize money politics. Our politics should never be reduced to a ‘do or die’ affair. What we need now from our politicians is good governance and not a wage increase. The government at all times must ensure the security and welfare of the people. No government should abdicate this constitutional responsibility.
We urge President Tinubu to show exemplary leadership by rejecting the proposed pay raise even though he stands to be the biggest beneficiary. He needs reminding that his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, and former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in July 2015, took a historic step and voluntarily asked for a 50 per cent cut in their salaries for eight years. President Tinubu should toe that noble path. We also enjoin our lawmakers to do the same. The pay raise proposal is inauspicious and unsustainable. Let it be jettisoned.
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