Politicians’ Salary Review : A Misplaced Priority

Quote:” ...the clamour for salary increases for political office holders appears not just misplaced, but morally indefensible. The national minimum wage is a paltry ?70,000 per month—barely enough to sustain a modest family for a week.”

Few days ago, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) hinted at plans to review the salaries of political, public, and judicial office holders in Nigeria. The Commission, which is constitutionally empowered to determine the remuneration of these categories of officials, through its chairman, Mr. Mohammed Usman, argued that the current pay structure of these people is “inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated” given rising responsibilities and economic challenges. While the Commission’s mandate is clear, the timing and reasoning for the salary raise are troubling. In the face of widespread poverty, mass unemployment, and an ever-widening gap between the ruling class and ordinary Nigerians, the proposition to review politicians’ salaries upward is not only insensitive but also counterproductive.

The country is currently battling a serious economic challenge.  Inflation continues to erode the value of incomes, with food inflation alone crossing record highs. Millions of households are struggling to afford basic necessities, and the poverty index shows that a significant percentage of the citizens live below the internationally recognised poverty line. The removal of fuel subsidies, rising energy tariffs, and a volatile foreign exchange regime have all conspired to make life unbearable for the average Nigerian. Against this backdrop, the clamour for salary increases for political office holders appears not just misplaced, but morally indefensible. The national minimum wage is a paltry ?70,000 per month—barely enough to sustain a modest family for a week.

Even more concerning is that several states remain unable or unwilling to pay this wage consistently, leaving workers in prolonged hardship, pensioners are owed arrears; teachers and health workers embark on strikes due to unpaid salaries. For about four month this year, primary school teachers in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, were on strike because the council chairmen failed to implement the N70,000 minimum wage. Yet, the political class enjoys allowances, estacodes, duty tours, and other hidden benefits that far outweigh their basic salaries.To describe the current remuneration of political office holders as “inadequate” is to ignore the mountain of privileges that accompany public office in Nigeria. These officials do not merely receive salaries; they benefit from a vast array of allowances—housing, transport, wardrobe, entertainment, and hardship allowances, among others.

 They are provided with official residences, security details, medical care abroad, and fleets of vehicles maintained at public expense. Lawmakers collect what has been controversially described as “constituency allowances,” while governors and ministers maintain access to opaque security votes running into billions. As an official of the Nigeria Labour Congress stated, the real problem is not the official salary figures but the allowances and perks of office that remain hidden from public view. “The President’s salary may be about N1.5m a month, but when allowances are added, the total package can exceed N100 million”, he disclosed. The truth, therefore, is that our political office holders do not suffer financial inadequacy. Instead, they live in conditions far removed from the everyday realities of the citizens they claim to serve. It is unsurprising that Nigeria consistently ranks among the countries with the highest cost of governance in the world.

 In 2020, the World Bank estimated that recurrent expenditure on salaries, allowances, and administrative costs accounted for more than 70 percent of Nigeria’s federal budget, leaving a fraction for capital development. At the heart of this debate lies the issue of social and economic inequality. Political leaders, who are already among the best remunerated in the country, seek to further widen the gap between themselves and ordinary workers. A federal legislator reportedly earns salaries and allowances that dwarf those of university professors, medical doctors, or senior civil servants, even though the latter groups provide essential services that sustain the economy and save lives daily. The contrast is even starker when compared with the minimum wage earner. A senator’s monthly earnings, by various estimates, amount to hundreds of times the monthly wage of a primary school teacher.

When political leaders call their pay “unrealistic,” they fail to recognise the indignity of subjecting workers to wages that cannot cover rent, food, transportation, and medical bills in a single month.This disparity breeds resentment and undermines trust in governance. It creates a political culture in which public office is not about service but about access to wealth. The constant struggle for political positions—often marred by violence and corruption—can be traced to the overcompensation of politicians relative to the economic reality of the nation. Some defenders of the proposed salary review have argued that political office holders worldwide are well-compensated, given the enormous responsibilities they bear. While this is true, such comparisons should be made within the context of each country’s economic realities. For instance, legislators in advanced democracies like the United States or the United Kingdom earn significant salaries, but these are proportionate to the average incomes of citizens and are backed by robust social welfare systems.

In contrast, Nigeria ranks among the countries with the highest pay for lawmakers, even though it struggles with high poverty levels, infrastructural decay, and weak public services. According to some reports, Nigerian legislators are among the top five best-paid in the world, even though Nigeria is not among the top 50 economies by per capita income. This contradiction underscores the need for moderation, not escalation, in political pay structures. What the country needs at this time is not an upward review of political salaries, but a comprehensive reduction in the cost of governance. The nation is heavily indebted, with debt servicing consuming over 90 percent of government revenue in recent years. The government should devise ways of plugging leakages and cutting waste and strengthening the Naira instead of embarking on salary increment for politicians.

The idea that politicians need more money to function effectively is simply untenable. Efficiency in governance is not a function of higher pay but of integrity, accountability, and commitment to service. Increasing political pay at this time will only further alienate leaders from the people and deepen the crisis of legitimacy that already plagues Nigeria’s political system. As a matter of fact, if there is to be any serious conversation about salary review in Nigeria, it should begin with workers who form the backbone of the economy. Nigerian workers should be paid a living wage that reflects the realities of today’s inflationary environment. Teachers, health workers, police officers, soldiers, and civil servants deserve better compensation, not just because of their critical roles but also because their current pay is grossly insufficient for survival.

Leadership, especially in a developing country like ours, demands sacrifice. The first duty of public office holders is to inspire confidence and trust among the citizenry. At a time when the citizens are asked to tighten their belts, leaders must demonstrate solidarity by tightening theirs even further.It would send a powerful message of empathy if the political class voluntarily subjected itself to pay cuts, reduced allowances, and streamlined privileges. Such a move would not only save resources but also signal to citizens that their leaders are willing to share in their struggles. Without this kind of solidarity, governance risks becoming an exclusive club of privilege, detached from the pain of ordinary people. The path to sustainable governance lies not in bloating the pay of politicians but in reducing the cost of governance, investing in infrastructure, improving public services, and ensuring that every worker earns a wage that can sustain a dignified life.

The RMAFC must therefore rethink its priorities. The Commission should heed the advice of the NLC, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and other well-meaning individuals and organisations and abandon any plans for upward salary reviews for political office holders and instead channel its influence towards achieving fair and just wages for the majority of Nigerians. We need no soothsayer to tell us that if RMAFC fails to listen to all wise counsel and goes ahead with its plan, it may trigger mass upheaval and industrial actions. The nation sure does not need this now.\

By: Calista Ezeaku