By Peter Omopo | September 14, 2025
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has condemned the proposed salary hike for Nigeria’s top political officeholders, describing it as “an insult” to millions of citizens struggling with inflation, subsidy removal, and the soaring cost of living.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Falana faulted the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for considering the review of salaries for the President, Vice President, governors, deputies, and lawmakers while civil servants and ordinary Nigerians remain under severe economic pressure.
“I will say that RMAFC is not in a position to increase the salaries and allowances of public officeholders without considering the fact that civil servants and other managers are bearing the brunt of the country’s economic policies,” he said.
Falana argued that any wage review must be holistic, not discriminatory. He stressed that the commission should prioritise addressing income disparity and social inequality before approving new pay packages for politicians.
The senior lawyer also criticised RMAFC for failing to regulate what he called the “humongous salaries and allowances” collected by federal lawmakers outside the commission’s mandate, pointing to Section 70 of the Constitution, which places the responsibility for fixing such salaries squarely on RMAFC.
He reminded the commission of an existing Federal High Court judgment, secured by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and other civil society groups, mandating a review of lawmakers’ pay in line with economic realities.
Falana warned that at a time of naira devaluation, economic dollarisation, and widespread hardship, a selective salary hike for politicians would only deepen public resentment unless the government implements measures to cushion the impact of its policies on the masses.
On August 19, PUNCH Online reported that RMAFC chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed plans to increase the pay of political officeholders, describing their current earnings as “inadequate, outdated, and unrealistic.” According to him, President Bola Tinubu earns N1.5m monthly, while ministers take home less than N1m, figures unchanged since 2008.
The proposal has since stirred intense debate, with critics like Falana insisting that the focus should first be on improving the welfare of civil servants and ordinary Nigerians.
