In defiance of protest against the proposal to increase the salaries of political office holders by Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on alleged grounds of disparity and economic reality, the commission has commenced the process.
RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, on Monday at a press conference in Abuja raised the issue.
Shehu stated that some public officers like the Central Bank Governor earn more than Nigerian president and ministers saying the two earn N1.5m and N1m respectively in monthly salaries.
Another line of his argument is declaration that political office holders’ salaries are inadequate given the current economic realities in the Nigeria.
The proposal was however met with chorus of disapproval from several quarters including the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
In spite of the objection, RMAFC, in a statement its head of Information and Public Relations Unit, Mrs. Maryam Yusuf released said it has commenced the process that would lead to the increment.
The commencement announcement was made by RMAFC’s Chairman of the Remuneration and Monetisation Committee, Mr. Mohammed Usman, at a retreat in Kano, according to Mrs Yusuf in the statement she released.
The exercise, Usman reportedly stated is vital to strengthening Nigeria’s governance structure, and aimed at developing a comprehensive framework for remuneration packages of political, public, and judicial office holders nationwide.
“The effort is also a significant move towards the implementation of one of the commission’s core mandates,” it quoted Usman as saying.
