Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Muhammad Shehu, has said the salaries of politicians, judicial and public office holders would be increased by 114 per cent.
Shehu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, spoke on Tuesday while presenting the reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris.
But the development drew the ire of civil society organisations, CSOs, law lecturer and Senator Shehu Sani, who argued that the ordinary worker, whose take-home pay was nothing to write home about was the one that deserved such wage increment and not politicians.
The RMAFC Chairman, who was represented by a federal commissioner in the commission, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, said the implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages was effective from January 1, 2023.
He said the move was in accordance with the provision of paragraph 32(d) of part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Government (as amended).
He advised the Houses of Assembly in the states to move quickly on the amendment of relevant laws to pave way for upward review of income packages for political, judicial and public officers.
He said the last remuneration review was conducted in 2007, adding that it culminated in the “certain political, public and judicial office holders (salaries and allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008”.
Tanko-Ayuba said: “Sixteen years after the last review, it is imperative that the remuneration packages for the categories of the office holders mentioned in relevant sections of the 1999 constitution (as amended) be reviewed.
However, spokesman of the commission, Mr Chris Chukwu, dismissed his boss’ claim that a 114 per cent salary increase had been effected for the President and other public office holders.
“There is a process that must be followed for such salary review. That process has not been undertaken,” he explained.
According to him, to review salaries of public office holders, the commission can only make a recommendation to the president who will submit it to the National Assembly in form of a bill.
He added that after passing such a bill, it would then be sent to the president to sign it into law for the review to become effective.
