NLC, Atiku Aide and Activist Reject Proposed Pay Hike for Tinubu, Governors, Ministers
“Paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ₦1.5 m a month, with a population of over 200 million people, is a joke,” – RMAFC Chairman
Key figures, including the Nigeria Labour Congress, a spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and activist lawyer Nkereuwem Udofia Akpan have all condemned recent moves by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to raise salaries for President Bola Tinubu, governors, ministers and other government officials.
RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu revealed in Abuja that the current salaries—which have not changed since 2008—are “inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated.” He said the president currently earns ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers earn less than ₦1 million. “Paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ₦1.5 m a month, with a population of over 200 million people is a joke,” he told journalists.
According to Daily Post, the proposal immediately drew backlash. Benson Upah, spokesman for the Nigeria Labour Congress, called the idea “insensitive, unjust, [and] inequitable,” warning that it would widen the existing gap between civil servants and political office holders and deepen poverty. He urged RMAFC to halt the process, arguing that any salary review should be equitable and public, lest it trigger public outrage.
An aide to Atiku Abubakar, speaking through spokesperson Paul Ibe, dismissed the idea as self-serving, saying: “Whoever conceived the idea of salary increase for government officials doesn’t even mean well for the administration. It is all to serve their interests.” He condemned the borrowing behind such spending, noting, “Our children are going to pay back those loans… It is very insensitive of the government to be talking about increasing the salaries of public officials.”
Human rights activist Chief Nkereuwem Udofia Akpan also spoke out, criticising not official salaries, but the “humongous allowances” and perks enjoyed by lawmakers. He added that President Tinubu, who served as both governor and senator before his current post, is well-established in wealth and should not warrant more pay. “The First Lady was recently quoted as saying that they were already rich before coming to Aso Rock… So why the need for more?” Akpan said.
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