Bisola David
The Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, criticized the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission on Thursday for proposing a 114% increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, Vice President, governors, and parliamentarians.
RMAFC has received severe criticism for its recommendation that the country’s public officeholders receive a raise in their basic salaries.
The proposal was presented to the state governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, along with the reviewed compensation packages for those holding political and judicial office on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi, by the commission’s chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, who was standing in for RMAFC commissioner from Kebbi State, Mrs. Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba.
In response, Obi called the proposal “insensitive” and cautioned that it should not be a priority for a country that is still battling to raise the minimum wage while more than 133 million Nigerians are still living in extreme poverty.
The tweet stated, “I learned with great reservation, the approval of a 114% increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, vice president, governors, lawmakers as well as judicial and public office holders by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission.
“If such a compensation increase is required at all, now is not the time for it. A typical Nigerian nowadays must contend with numerous severe economic realities, and more than 130 million people in Nigeria now live in poverty. This is a moment when recent reform measures by the government have increased living costs astronomically.
“One would anticipate that public officials and leaders would prioritize lowering the cost of governance and easing Nigerians’ suffering. Now is the time for innovative solutions to help the majority escape poverty. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar famously said, “What touches us ourselves shall be last served.”
He concluded by saying that leaders should put the needs of the people and those in lower social classes ahead of their own.
“The leaders of our country should make the sacrifice right now to prioritize fixing education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation, especially in the remote rural areas.”
