Muhammed Shehu, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), has spoken out to debunk the perception that political office holders in Nigeria earn significantly more than their counterparts in certain federal government agencies. In an exclusive interview in Abuja, Mr. Shehu addressed concerns over reported proposals for a 114% salary increase for political office holders by the commission, amid a backdrop of economic challenges facing the nation.

Muhammed Shehu emphasized that the notion of exorbitant salaries for political office holders is unfounded, and he shed light on the constitutional responsibility of RMAFC to determine and periodically review the compensation of executive, legislative, and judicial officers. He noted that the last salary review for these positions occurred in 2007, and since then, there hasn’t been a single adjustment.

“I want to disabuse the minds of Nigerians. It is not true that people are getting jumbo salaries. “The monthly salary of Mr President is less than N1.5 million; that of a minister is not even up to one million naira.

“I know of an average CBN worker who is not even a director, who earns more than a minister.

“People in NNPC, NCC, ports authority earn huge salaries. What is the salary of a governor? What is the salary of a legislator?” He said.

Mr. Shehu referenced a recent court case where activists contested the salaries of judicial officers, resulting in a ruling that recommended a monthly pay of approximately N10 million for judges. However, he assured the public that given the current economic difficulties facing Nigerians, the commission is not considering any salary increases at this time.

He stated, “We are Nigerians; we are not going to start talking about reviewing the salaries of political officeholders now because of the challenges that the government is facing. As a commission, we will do our work when the time is right and involve stakeholders in the decision-making process.”

The Chairman sought to clarify that what may appear as exorbitant earnings for lawmakers are, in fact, statutory office running costs that should ideally be managed centrally by the National Assembly Service Commission. He further explained that these costs encompass various aspects, from constituency office expenses to logistics and personnel, which are meant to be handled by the National Assembly Service Commission.

In conclusion, Mr. Shehu emphasized that the salary structures of political officeholders do not reflect the widely held perception of extravagant incomes, and he stressed the importance of separating statutory office costs from actual salaries. This clarification comes at a time when the economic challenges faced by Nigerians have fueled public scrutiny of government expenditures.

(Source: Adapted from a report by NAN)