The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has given its approval for a significant salary increase of 114% for elected politicians, including the President, Vice President, governors, lawmakers, as well as judicial and public office holders in Nigeria.
The RMAFC is responsible for determining appropriate remuneration for political officeholders based on the country’s constitution.The commission has urged the state Houses of Assembly in the 36 states to expedite the process of amending relevant laws to accommodate the upward review of remuneration packages for political, judicial, and public officers.
The RMAFC Chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, represented by a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, made the announcement during the presentation of the reviewed remuneration package reports to the governor of Kebbi State.
The implementation of the revised remuneration packages is effective from January 1, 2023, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.Shehu emphasized that the last review of remuneration packages took place in 2007, leading to the “certain political, public and judicial office holders (salaries and allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008.” The act grants the RMAFC the authority to determine appropriate remuneration for various political officeholders.
Given the long gap since the last review, Shehu highlighted the importance of revising the remuneration packages for officeholders mentioned in the relevant sections of the constitution.
A one-day zonal public hearing was conducted by the commission in all six geopolitical zones of the country to gather inputs and ideas from stakeholders.
The commission objectively and subjectively reviewed the salary packages, considering criteria such as equity and fairness, risk and responsibilities, national order of precedence, among others. The subjective criteria were derived from stakeholder memoranda, opinions expressed during the zonal public hearings, and questionnaire responses.
The objective criteria were based on macroeconomic variables, particularly the Consumer Price Index (CPI).Shehu further explained that the commission adhered to principles such as equity and fairness, risk and responsibilities, national order of precedence, motivation, and tenure of office.
Taking into account the impact on the economy, the remuneration of political, public, and judicial officeholders was adjusted upward by 114%.Regarding judicial officeholders, the commission introduced three new allowances. These include the provision of two law clerks to all judicial officers in the country through the Professional Development Assistant allowance, and the Long Service Allowance to recognize seniority and hierarchy among officers who have served on the bench for a minimum of five years.
