THE Federal Government may soon approve a pay raise for political office holders as the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) pushes for a review of what it describes as “outdated and inadequate” salaries of Nigerian leaders.
News Point Nigeria reports that speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu currently earns ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers take home less than ₦1 million, salaries that have not been adjusted since 2008.
“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 told reporters.
He argued that the imbalance was glaring when compared to the salaries of heads of federal agencies. “You cannot pay a minister less than ₦1 million per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best.
“A CBN governor earns ten times more than the President, while the DG of an agency can earn twenty times more than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is just not right.”
But the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) swiftly rejected the plan, accusing the commission of ignoring Nigeria’s deepening inequality.
“The President’s salary may be ₦1.5 million, but when allowances are added, the total package can exceed ₦100 million,” a senior NLC official told this newspaper on condition of anonymity.
“Housing, medical care, travel, internet, and other allowances are buried in the system. If the government wants to be transparent, let it publish the full pay structure.”
The union maintained that the real issue was not the basic salary but the hidden allowances and perks that inflate political earnings, while millions of Nigerians struggle to survive on the current minimum wage.
Nigerian workers continue to face economic hardship as inflation, though easing slightly, remains high. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows headline inflation moderated to 21.88% in July 2025, while food inflation stood at 22.74%, leaving households under pressure despite falling from the 39.53% recorded a year earlier.
In addition to salaries, RMAFC announced that it has begun reviewing Nigeria’s vertical revenue-sharing formula, which determines how federation revenue is split among the federal, state, and local governments.
The current formula, unchanged since 1992, allocates 52.68% to the Federal Government, 26.72% to states, and 20.60% to local governments, with 4.18% reserved for special funds.
Shehu said the review would be “inclusive, data-driven, and transparent,” involving consultations with the Presidency, National Assembly, state governors, the judiciary, civil society, and development partners.
He recalled that previous attempts to revise the formula, including a 2022 recommendation under former Chairman Elias Mbam, were ignored by both the Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari administrations.
“The evolving socio-economic and fiscal realities of our nation make this review essential. States must be supported to grow economically, become more independent, and reduce over-reliance on the centre,” Shehu said.
Efforts to adjust salaries of public officials and revise revenue allocation have historically faced stiff resistance, largely due to political interests tied to federal dominance over the federation account.
As far back as 2013, RMAFC convened a two-week retreat in Tinapa, Cross River State, to produce a new formula. A draft report was prepared but never tabled before the National Assembly. Both Jonathan and Buhari administrations sidestepped its implementation.
Shehu assured Nigerians that this time would be different, stressing that with the Commission’s new financial autonomy granted by law in April 2025, “there will be no excuses for delay.”
The debate over political salaries comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with soaring costs of living, unemployment, and declining purchasing power.
For many citizens, any move to raise politicians’ pay while workers struggle on the current minimum wage would be viewed as an insult.
“The government must get its priorities right,” said Labour Expert, Banke Adedoye told News Point Nigeria. “Public trust is already at an all-time low. This is the wrong time to talk about more money for politicians.”
Whether the proposed review will sail through remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the clamour for equity, accountability, and fairness in Nigeria’s pay and revenue system is louder than ever.