The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urge President Bola Tinubu “to direct t Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to immediately suspend the patently unlawful and unconstitutional pay rise for political and public office holders in Nigeria, particularly the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and the country’s lawmakers.”
The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, last week, hinted at plans to review upward the salaries of political office holders in Nigeria.
Shehu, who described the current salaries of the President, Ministers, and other public office holders as “unrealistic, inadequate, and outdated”, said President Bola Tinubu presently earns N1.5 million monthly, while ministers take home less than N1 million, figures that have not changed since 2008.
Reacting to the planned pay hike, SERAP urged President Tinubu to “Reject the imminent pay rise for politicians and encourage your vice-president, governors and their deputies, an lawmakers to do the same.
“Direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to ensure full and effective compliance with the judgment of Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor directing the RMAFC to review downward the salaries and allowances of the members of the National Assembly to reflect the economic realities in the country.”
In the letter dated 23 August 2025 and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “The RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates clearly do not imply the unrestrained powers to increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers.
“Suspending the imminent pay rise for political office holders would serve legitimate public interests. When the exercise of RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates clashes with Nigerians’ fundamental rights, the public interests in upholding these rights ought to prevail.”
According to SERAP, “Rather than reviewing downward the salaries of political and public office holders to reflect the current economic challenges in the country, the commission is arbitrarily increasing the salaries for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers.”
The letter reads in part: “RMFAC cannot legitimately or justifiably increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers at a time when over 133 million Nigerians are poor and several state governments are failing to pay salaries of workers and pensions.
“RMFAC seems to act consistently to give advantage to political office holders over the interests of poor Nigerians. The RMFAC, in the exercise of its constitutional and statutory mandates, ought to balance the interests of the marginalised and vulnerable sectors of the population against the ‘interests’ of political office holders.
“The RMFAC ought to prioritise cutting the excessive amounts yearly budgeted as allowances for political office holders and life pensions for former presidents, vice-presidents, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers.
“The imminent pay rise for political office holders is a gross violation of the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] relating to Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, and the country’s international human rights obligations.
“The combined provisions of chapter 2 and chapter 4 on fundamental rights, particularly section 42, give meaning and substance to the socio-economic rights of Nigerians and their right to equality and non-discrimination.
“Directing the RMFAC to suspend the imminent pay rise for political office holders will be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office and your oft-expressed commitment, including to work to ensure ‘a better society’ and ‘the collective sacrifices of us all’, as stated in your inauguration speech.
“SERAP supports the upward review of the remuneration, salaries and allowances and conditions of service for Nigerian judges in order to address the persistent poor treatment of judges, and to improve access of victims of corruption and human rights violations to justice and effective remedies.
“The RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Bello, on 18 August 2025, reportedly stated the commission’s decision to propose a pay rise for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria on the seriously flawed ground that the salaries for these office-holders are ‘paltry.
“The commission claimed that the ‘review package ‘remains fair, realistic, and sustainable,’ and ‘aligns with the country`s current socio-economic realities.
“According to him, the allocation formula was last overhauled in 1992, saying that there had been several executive adjustments since 2002, but a full-scale overhaul had not been undertaken until now.
“SERAP notes that Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, ordered the RMAFC to review downward and fix the salaries, remuneration or allowances of members of the National Assembly to reflect the economic realities in the country.
“The judgement dated 4 June 2021 followed the consolidated suits brought by Mr Monday Ubani, Mr John Nwokwu, more than 1,500 concerned Nigerians, SERAP, BudgIT and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE).
“Under sections 154(1) and 156(3) and paragraph 31, Part I of the Third Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution, Members of the Commission are appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate.”
