Politics
Scandalous Jumbo Pay
The Economist of London in its recent edition published the salaries of lawmakers in some countries across the globe with Nigeria and Australia topping the chart. Although the Governor of Central bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Samusi had in the past made a startling revelation about the jumbo pay being received by the Nigerian lawmakers, he did not go the extra mile to furnish the Nigerian public with the figures.
According to the Economist’s report a Nigerian lawmaker receives an annual salary of $189,000 (N30 million) while his counterpart in Germany earns $119,500; France ($85,900); Pakistan ($3,500); Saudi Arabia ($64,000), Malaysia ($25,300); Sri Lanka ($5,000); Spain ($43,900); Ireland (120,400); Canada (154.000); New Zealand ($112,500) Singapore ($154,000); Sweden ($99,300) and Australia ($201,200).
Others are Kenya ($74,500); Ghana ($46,500); Indonesia ($65,800); South Africa ($104,000); Brazil ($157,600), Thailand ($43,800); India ($11,200); Italy ($182,000); Bangladesh ($4,000); Israel ($114,800); Hong Kong ($130,700); United States ($174,000); Japan ($149,000) and Norway ($138,000)
The report that analysed the data obtained from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows that the federal Iawmakers earn more than their counterparts in 27 countries that were mentioned earlier. It is pertinent to note that each lawmaker receives $189,000 annually as basic salary which is 116 times the country’s gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person per annum while that of a British parliamentarian is 2.7 times the country’s GDP per person. Again, this excludes the numerous and fabulous allowances that are paid to the Nigerian lawmakers at the expense of 70 per cent of their compatriots who are living below poverty line as a result of the poor state of the nation’s economy.
A situation where a whopping N150 billion is allocated to the National Assembly in the 2013 budget is thought provoking, given the fact that Nigeria imports virtually everything from other countries of the world for local consumption.
Our leaders are utterly insensitive to the plight of the Nigerian masses who are lauguishing in protracted penury. This explains why the recurrent expenditure is always higher than the capital expenditure in our budgetary provisions.
No meaningful development can take place in a country that is bereft of basic infrastructure occasioned by selfish and visionless leadership. More worrisome is the fact that it takes tears and blood for the so-called leaders to take positive steps that will engender growth and well-being of the generality of the people. The Nigerian masses must embark on protest for government to fund the education sector; provide electricity, pipe-borne water and petroleum products; fix deplorable roads and implement the N18,000 minimum wage for workers.
Of course, the lawmakers are not alone in the mindless exploitation of hapless Nigerians. All other public officers in the mainstream of governance are equally involved in this financial recklessness.
It is for this reason that a growing number of Nigerians are taking to politics. Because of the juicy nature of political offices in Nigeria politics has become a do-or-die affair as aspirants will do everything humanly possible to win elections. The consequence therefore, is poor leadership and economic woes that have become the lot of the nation that is endowed with abundant natural resources.
Speaking at a workshop organised by the National Union of Textiles, Garments and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) in llorin, the Kwara State capital recently, the Vice President of Nigeria Labour congress (NLC), Comrade Issa Aremu urged the lawmakers to demonstrate stemanship by reviewing downwards their annual emoluments.
“Their salary is not even linked to their productivity. If they refuse, we must call them to order. Their constituents should call them to order. They can’t be holier than the Pope.
“If they refuse to reduce their salary, we must take the battle to their constituencies. Anything short of this will make us to take to the streets and NLC is ready to lead the way.
“How can a legislator earn about $189,000 (N30 million) as basis salary per annum ? Our lawmakers are the second highest paid in the world next to those in Australia”.
He said it would take a worker earning the monthly minimum wage of N18,000 about 140 years to save N30.24 million “If the worker saves his whole salary.
He said it would take an average worker 667 years to be at the same level with a lawmaker, whose total emolument per annum was put at N46 million.
Aremu who is also the General Secretary of NUTGTWN said strike could be the most potent weapon to be employed if the workers failed to heed their advice.
“This is a persuasive approach now, but if they refuse, we will march to their constituencies, and if they still pauperise Nigerians, we will take to the streets to show them the power of the electorate over the elected. How can a Nigerian legislator be earning more than the American President?”
The NLC Leader described as paradoxical, the condition of Nigerians whose country is ranked 12
th in the hierarchy of oil-producing nations but could seldom afford daily meals.
Some political observers have argued that the Federal lawmakers lack the moral authority to exercise their constitutional prerogative of oversight in view of the dubious income they forcefully appropriated to themselves.
They therefore, drew the attention of the lawmakers to paragraph 32 (d) of the third schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended. That section provides that the Revenue mobilisation and fiscal Commission shall have power to “determine the remuneration appropriate for political office holders, including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers, legislators and the holders of offices mentioned in section 84 and 124 of this constitution”.
It is clear that the federal lawmakers did not comply with the constitutional provisions in relation to their remuneration.
To avert public opprobrium the lawmakers should heed to NLC’s advice by reviewing downwards their basic salary. They should also ensure that other political office holders do not contravene the law as well. Our leaders should lead by example and not by precept. Please be guided.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed his legal team to resume all court proceedings against Mrs. Tracy Ohiri over her repeated allegations of indebtedness and other claims against him.
Mrs Ohiri had publicly accused Senator Umahi of owing her N280 million for campaign materials from his tenure as party chairman in Ebonyi State.
The allegations went viral on social media, where she also accused the Minister of sexual harassment.
Security agencies arrested Mrs Ohiri, and she was subsequently prosecuted. Her lawyer, Barrister Marshall Abubakar, intervened, leading to the deletion of all posts and a public apology, which also gained widespread attention online.
However, days after the apology, Mrs Ohiri resumed her claims against Senator Umahi.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Senator Umahi said he had informed Barrister Abubakar during the intervention that if Mrs Ohiri could provide verifiable evidence, logs, and communications from the period in question, some of his associates were willing to contribute a sum of One Billion Naira (N1billion) to her, evidence which, he said, she had yet to provide.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has been monitoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding the claims and counterclaims by Mrs. Tracy Ohiri.
“Ordinarily, this would have been ignored, but in the interest of truth and public clarity, it is necessary to address the issues directly”, the statement read.
The statement clarified that Barrister Abubakar acted in good faith and without any financial interest, motivated solely by a desire to assist Mrs Ohiri.
At no point did the lawyer discuss or negotiate any payment with the minister, although some well-meaning associates independently offered support”, the statement added.
Senator Umahi reiterated the conditions for resolving the matter: either the claims must be tested in court, or Mrs Ohiri must provide credible evidence, including all relevant communications, to substantiate her allegations.
The minister emphasised that Barr Abubakar conducted himself with integrity throughout the process.
“Following the failure to meet these conditions, particularly the inability to provide verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes to ensure the truth is fully established,” the statement said.
Senator Umahi said despite years of public provocations and attacks, he chose to remain silent, focusing on national and state services.
He thanked Nigerians who had taken time to assess the facts and noted that “not everyone who presents themselves as a victim truly is one, and in some cases, narratives are deliberately inverted.”
The Minister affirmed that he will not be distracted by Mrs Ohiri’s allegations and remained committed to his mandate at the Ministry of Works.
“The focus remains on results, service, and ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from projects that improve connectivity, economic growth, and national development. This administration will continue to pursue its transformation agenda with dedication, transparency, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” he concluded.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned proceedings in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions.
Justice Stephen Jumbo made the pronouncement during a recent sitting in Port Harcourt.
The suit, which borders on the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure in the state, was instituted against the factional State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, alongside the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and other respondents.
Also joined in the matter are the PDP as a corporate entity, the Rivers State Government, as well as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, including their respective Vice Chairmen and Councillors.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, approached the court via an originating summons seeking judicial interpretation on the validity of actions taken by the Chief Chukwuemeka-led state executive committee of the party.
Central to the dispute is whether the said executive committee, whose emergence the claimants contend has been nullified by a subsisting court judgment, retains the legal authority to act on behalf of the party in critical electoral matters.
The plaintiffs specifically urged the court to determine whether the factional leadership could validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the purpose of participating in local government elections.
They further questioned the legitimacy of the PDP’s participation in the August 30, 2025 local government elections, contending that any list purportedly submitted by the factional leadership was invalid and of no legal consequence.
In addition to the declaratory reliefs sought, the claimants also prayed the court to grant consequential orders addressing the outcome and conduct of the said elections across the affected local government areas.
At the resumed hearing, counsel representing the PDP and the affected local government councils informed the court that they had only recently been served with the originating processes and accompanying documents.
The defence team, comprising several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), disclosed that service of the court processes was effected on March 13, 2026, leaving them with limited time to adequately prepare their responses.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable them study the processes and address the legal issues raised, particularly as they relate to jurisdictional questions and points of law.
Counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, did not oppose the application, following which the presiding judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions, with a possible ruling expected ahead of the substantive suit.
By: King Onunwor
A former state lawmaker in the old the Rivers State, Professor Alex Eseimokumo, has described Nigerian opposition political parties as mere preposition political parties.
He also advised the country’s electorate against selling their votes during next year’s general elections.
The former legislator, who is also the president of the Institute for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Entrepreneurial Research, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide on the sidelines of an event organized by the institute in Port Harcourt.
He said opposition political parties in Nigeria have been reduced to preposition political parties as most of them are not only dinning with the government but advising government on what to do to win election.
“The problem in Nigeria is we are not practicing politics the way it is supposed to be.The opposition are more in preposition.
“You see, opposition is supposed to find out things that are wrong in government but in our present day politics, you see opposition even dinning with the other group. So, there is basically nothing like opposition in Nigeria “, he said.
He lamented a situation where some individuals within the opposition are allegedly working hard to prevent their parties from fielding presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, adding that such individuals were only there to protect their personal interest.
Prof. Eseimokumo said as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he could not wish his party to fail in the election, even though nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
He noted that though the government in power has been trying it’s best, there was more to be done.
In his words, “I’m an APC member, so I don’t have the right to criticize my party but a word of advice: we still need to do more, more people oriented leadership where everybody will feel carried along.
“For now, I’m campaigning for APC to be re elected and if I stand here to say APC is not doing well, I’m not being fair to myself. But I think, with God all things are possible, there can be changes”.
On his assessment of the performances of governors of the Niger Delta states, Prof Eseimokumo said the governors were doing well within the limit of their resources.
” I don’t know what is given to them as allocation, but if what we are seeing in terms of window dressing is not window shopping, then they are doing well”, he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Eseimokumo has advised Nigerian electorates against selling their votes during the forthcoming elections.
He said credible election could only be achieved when the electorates refuse financial inducement during the elections.
According to him, though Nigerian voters had been difficult to persuade, the time had come for them to stop selling their votes.
Prof. Eseimokumo said the forthcoming elections will serve as a litmus test for the Nigerian electorate to demonstrate their desire for changes in the country, stressing that free and fair elections will continue to be a mirage in the country until the was a change in the attitude of the electorate.
“If you want your vote to count, don’t take money from anybody; if you want your votes to count, don’t collect money for your vote. The moment you collect money for your vote, you have sold your conscience”, he warned.
He said his institute will continue to work for peace, not just in the Niger Delta region but across Nigeria.
By: John Bibor