June 22, (THEWILL) – The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), has proposed 114% increase in the basic salaries of political and judicial office holders.
The commission’s Chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, represented by a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, disclosed this during the presentation of reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, on Tuesday, in Birnin Kebbi.
While the organised labour, among other Nigerians, have condemned the proposal, THEWILL reports that the reviewed salary would require legislation by national and state assemblies before it could be implemented.
Speaking on ARISE News Channel on Wednesday night, a Federal Commissioner of the RMAFC, Hassan Usman, justified the review, citing the provision of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Government (as amended), which grants the RMAFC the authority to determine appropriate remuneration for political office holders.
Usman said the last review of remuneration was done in 2007, leading to the 2008 Act on the remuneration of political office holders.
He explained that the current review was necessary because the consumer price index had increased by an average of 371% from 2008 to 2022.
While pointing out that the commission could not fold its hands and watch, “until when the sacrificial lamb is dead or killed”, Usman argued that the salary of Nigeria’s President is one of the lowest when compared and with all the other presidents, adding that the annual basic salary of the president falls around N7.6 million.
“We didn’t increase the allowances all what we did was increase the basic salary and then of course the allowances are there the way they are, they are only commensurately percentages of the basic salary”, he said.
Usman explained that the reviews are in four volumes, involving the federal government and the Federal Capital Territory on one hand and the governors, state legislators, as well as local governments on the other.
“Volume one entails the review of the federal government and the FCT, volume two for the state government and the local government, volume three is for the judiciary from top to bottom and volume four; is for the legislature, from the federal legislature to the state and even local government council.
“The volumes are there, we have submitted them, they are just recommendations. We have submitted to the office of Mr President and he is going to take them to the National Assembly for the federal government and FCT and those for the states would be legislated upon by the state houses of assembly”, he added.
Although, legislative backing would be required for the implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages at the federal, state, and local government levels, the RMAFC acknowledged that there would be an increase in the personnel cost of government at all levels as a result of the review.
In response to media reports about the salary increase, the RMAFC Public Relations Officer, Christian Nwachukwu, said the Commission held a one-day zonal public hearing on February 1, 2023, to gather inputs and ideas from various stakeholders for the remuneration review.
