The Federal Government is considering raising the salaries of political office holders, with officials describing the current pay structure as outdated and inadequate.
Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu currently earns just ₦1.5 million monthly a figure that has not changed since 2008.
He argued that the president’s pay does not match the weight of responsibility that comes with leading a nation of over 200 million people.
“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 said during a stakeholders’ meeting.
Shehu added that ministers also earn less than ₦1 million monthly, while heads of certain government agencies and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor take home salaries ten to twenty times higher than those of ministers and even the president.
“That is absolutely not right,” he stressed.
The RMAFC chairman maintained that such wide gaps in earnings encourage corruption and reduce motivation for political leaders to perform optimally.
According to him, Nigeria cannot expect ministers to give their best when they earn far less than agency bosses who report to them.
However, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly opposed the proposal.
The union argued that discussing pay rises for politicians at a time of widespread hardship and rising inequality shows insensitivity to the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
The NLC further noted that many political leaders already enjoy hidden allowances, perks, and benefits that inflate their real earnings far beyond their official salaries.
Shehu clarified that RMAFC’s constitutional duty is limited to setting the salaries of political, judicial, and legislative office holders.
He stressed that the commission has no role in determining the minimum wage for civil servants or other public sector workers.
The pay review debate comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with rising living costs, subsidy removal pains, and high unemployment rates.
Many citizens fear that raising political salaries will widen inequality and place additional pressure on public finances.
As the federal government weighs the review, the controversy has already triggered a broader debate about fairness, accountability, and the true cost of governance in Nigeria.
