THE CALL FOR INCREASE IN THE SALARIES OF POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS; A MISPLACED PRIORITY.
When some of us come on public platforms to say that the legitimate pay of the Nigerian President is less than N1.7m and that Governors earn far below N1m as their legitimate pay, some people laugh in disbelief.
The call for increase in the salaries of political office holders by Mohammed Shehu, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RAMFAC) as reported in today’s (19/8/2025) Punch Newspaper is another confirmation from the horse’s mouth. RAMFAC is the Agency created by Section 153 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to fix the salaries and allowances of certain public office holders.
However, our problem has never been their pay, but their pilfering (stealing). I earn at least three times the legitimate salary of the President and at least five times the legitimate salary of a Governor. I am therefore not against the proposed increase in their salaries.
But political office holders cannot continue in jumbo theft and expect jumbo pay rise as a reward. That apart, I also doubt if those who spend hundreds of millions and sometimes billions of Naira to campaign for election into public offices are actually concerned about the legitimate salaries for such offices.
Our priority should be how to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power as stated in Section 15 (5) of the Constitution.
E-signed
Femi Emmanuel Emodamori
(An Akure-based Lawyer)
19th August, 2025
