The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has formally begun the process of reviewing the remuneration packages of political and public office holders across Nigeria.
This move could lead to significant changes in their earnings after nearly two decades without an adjustment.
Ahead of a formal announcement, the commission is hosting a strategic retreat in Kano to harmonise various reports before releasing the updated salary structure.
The exercise follows last year’s review of judicial officers’ salaries, which was approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Declaring the retreat open, the Chairman of the RMAFC Remuneration and Monetisation Committee, Mohammed Kabeer Usman, who represents Gombe State on the commission, said the assignment was central to ensuring stability and strengthening governance in the country.
Usman said the committee had been mandated to consolidate earlier reports with fresh submissions into a single, comprehensive framework that would guide implementation.
“The commission carefully considered a wide range of perspectives, including memoranda from stakeholders, public hearings, and ministerial submissions, while also drawing from economic indicators and remuneration practices in other countries,” he said.
According to him, the review process is not solely about revising figures but also about assessing the long-term sustainability of such changes. “The commission has equally analysed the capacity of the government to implement the review package, ensuring that recommendations remain fair, realistic, and sustainable,” Usman added.
The RMAFC chief reminded participants that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) gives the commission the mandate to determine appropriate remuneration for political, public, and judicial office holders at all levels of government.
He urged participants at the retreat to ensure that the outcome of their deliberations is balanced and beneficial to the Nigerian system.
“I implore everyone to contribute towards achieving the purpose of our gathering, given our varied knowledge and wealth of experience,” he said.
The retreat is expected to set the tone for a framework that will determine future remuneration packages for political and public office holders nationwide.
RMAFC’s Chairman Mohammed Shehu said there was an urgent need to update the salaries of political office holders.
He announced that President Tinubu currently earns N1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than N1 million, figures that have not changed since 2008.
“You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria N1.5 million a month, with a population of over 200 million people. Everybody believes that it is a joke.
“You cannot pay a minister less than N1 million per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things.
“You pay either a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor or the director general 10 times more than you pay the President. That is just not right. Or, you pay him (the head of an agency) 20 times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right,” Shehu said.
