The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has hinted at plans to review the salaries of political office holders in Nigeria.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu described current earnings as “inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated.”
He noted that President Bola Tinubu earns ₦1.5m monthly, while ministers receive less than ₦1m, figures that have remained unchanged since 2008.
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Shehu said, “You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria N1.5m a month, with a population of over 200 million people. Everybody believes that it is a joke.”
He added, “You cannot pay a minister less than N1m per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things.”
The RMAFC boss clarified that the commission is constitutionally mandated to determine the salaries of political, judicial, and legislative office holders, not the minimum wage for civil servants.
He explained, “We are strictly restricted to political office holders, governors, senators, legislators, ministers, DGs, and other people.”
He called for public support to “come up with reasonable living salaries for ministers, DGs, and the President.”
Shehu also announced that the RMAFC has initiated a review of the vertical revenue-sharing formula, which has been in place since 1992.2 The current formula allocates 52.68% to the Federal Government, 26.72% to states, and 20.60% to local governments.3
Shehu told reporters, “In line with this constitutional responsibility and in response to the evolving socio-economic, political and fiscal realities of our nation, the Commission has resolved to initiate the process of reviewing the revenue allocation formula to reflect emerging socio-economic realities.”
He explained that recent constitutional amendments have expanded the financial burden on state governments, making a review essential to “foster economic growth in individual states, enabling them to become independent from the central government and ensuring equity, responsiveness, and sustainability.”
He also recalled that a previous attempt to adjust the formula in 2022 was unsuccessful.
