FG Plans Salary Increase for Tinubu, Senators, Other Political Office Holders
The Federal Government is considering a salary increase for President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, senators, ministers, and other political office holders, following a proposal by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
He described the current salary structure as outdated and unrealistic, noting that it has remained unchanged since 2008 despite rising responsibilities and economic challenges.
Shehu revealed that the President currently earns N1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than N1 million. He argued that these figures fall short of what is appropriate for such high offices, especially when compared with the much higher salaries of some agency heads and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“You cannot pay the President of Nigeria N1.5m monthly with a population of over 200 million people and expect it to be taken seriously,” he said. “You pay either a CBN governor or the DG ten times more than you pay the President. That is just not right. Or you pay him [the head of an agency] twenty times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right.”
But the plan has been met with resistance from organised labour.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) warned that raising salaries for politicians at a time when ordinary Nigerians are struggling with inflation and poverty would be unjust.
A senior NLC official said the real burden lies in hidden allowances and perks that already inflate the earnings of top office holders.
“The President’s salary may be N1.5m, but with allowances, the package can exceed N100m. If government can publish salaries, it should also publish allowances,” he said.
Labour also criticised the wide income gap between politicians and ordinary workers. While lawmakers are believed to take home up to N30m monthly, the national minimum wage stands at N70,000, and university professors earn less than N400,000. The union argued that this growing inequality is eroding the middle class and fuelling poverty.
“Good leadership requires sensitivity to the people’s plight. If politicians continue to prioritise themselves over the nation, this country risks imploding. And if that happens, even the elite will not have a country to fall back on,” the source warned.
At the event, Shehu had clarified that the commission is not responsible for fixing the minimum wage for civil servants but is constitutionally mandated to determine the pay of political, judicial, and legislative office holders. He insisted that realistic remuneration was necessary to ensure accountability and discourage corruption.
In addition to the salary review, Shehu said the RMAFC has begun work on revising Nigeria’s revenue allocation formula, which has not been adjusted since 1992. The current arrangement gives the Federal Government 52.68 per cent, states 26.72 per cent, and local governments 20.60 per cent, with a further 4.18 per cent reserved for special funds.
He explained that recent constitutional amendments have increased the financial responsibilities of states, making it essential to review the formula to ensure equity and sustainability.
He revealed that previous efforts under former presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari were stalled, but promised that the ongoing review would be “inclusive, data-driven, and transparent.”
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