Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted the proposed review of salaries for political office holders, describing it as “insensitive” in light of the country’s current economic realities.
“I want to believe that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has not taken cognisance of the living standards in the country, particularly the harrowing experience of ordinary people,” Falana said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.
“Majority of our people are suffering. Going by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), we have more than 133 million people that are multidimensionally poor.
“It is insensitive therefore for any agency of government, particularly RMAFC, to suggest an upward review of the emoluments of public officers,” he added.
He urged leaders to forgo salary increments and share in the country’s harsh economic realities, stressing the need to sacrifice for the poor who struggle to afford food, education, and healthcare.
“This is not the time for public officers to justify increasing their stupendous salaries and allowances. I am very confident that RMAFC will have to review its position so that it does not further provoke the Nigerian people,” he said.
Falana maintained that rather than pushing for salary increases, leaders should support social safety net programmes that directly assist struggling citizens.
Recently, the RMAFC announced that plans are underway for the review of the salaries of political office holders in Nigeria, describing their current earnings as inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated in the face of rising responsibilities and economic challenges.
Like Falana, this has also drawn criticism from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which called on the RMAFC to halt the planned review and described it as “insensitive” and “unjust.”
Falana argued that the review of political office holders’ pay must be “holistic” and take into account several factors, including self-awarded allowances, estacodes, security votes, and other unaccounted funds.
The senior lawyer noted that while estacodes were previously limited to governors, “many classes of agencies now receive estacodes every month in millions to augment what they are receiving.”
He stressed that RMAFC must align its review with court rulings that declared certain allowances illegal, and also work with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to ensure fairness between public officers and civil servants. “You cannot in a democracy have funds that are not accounted for,” he warned.
