Public anger has erupted over moves to raise salaries of President Bola Tinubu, governors, lawmakers, and ministers, with critics blasting the proposal as shamelessly insensitive at a time of worsening poverty and economic hardship.
Recall that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC), confirmed that it was reviewing pay packages for top office holders, describing current salaries as “outdated”.
Speaking during a 3-day capacity-building training in Abuja, the Clerk to the 10th National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, explained that the reform seeks to improve service delivery and enhance lawmakers’ performance. He noted that although aides are political appointees, their current conditions of service follow civil service templates that fail to reflect the peculiarities of their roles. President Tinubu, he cited for instance, earns about ₦1.5 million monthly, unchanged since 2008.
However, citizens argue politicians already enjoy bloated allowances and perks, while workers struggle under the yet-to-be-fully-implemented ₦70,000 minimum wage – now worth less than $50 due to naira devaluation.
Civil society groups have also warned that the move could trigger unrest, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) condemned it as “tone-deaf” and an “affront” to the Nigerian people. ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi declared that: “Government has no moral right to demand sacrifice from citizens while enriching political elites”, urging an immediate suspension of the plan.
The backlash comes as the 10th National Assembly pushes its own salary reforms, with lawmakers working to create a special pay structure for their aides. Officials argue the current civil service template does not reflect the unique demands of legislative work, but that the plan has only deepened public frustration over a political class seen as prioritising itself above struggling Nigerians.
Analysts warn that unless the Government urgently rethinks, the pay controversy risks becoming a flashpoint in an already volatile climate marked by food inflation, fuel costs and shrinking household incomes.
