The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says President Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, lawmakers and judicial staff ought to get over 200 per cent salary increments based on calculations by the commission. But the commission resolved to make it a 114 per cent increment based on prevailing economic realities in the country. 

Hassan Mohammed Usman, a federal commissioner of the RMAFC, disclosed this in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, explaining salary increment for Mr Tinubu and others was informed by due consultations.

“We engaged in public hearings. We went to all geopolitical zones. We had consultations with the stakeholders, the government and the private sector, hearing and harnessing views on what increment within these years,” Mr Usman said. 

He added, “These indices, the public hearing, which is subjective, and then the scientific one, the consumer price index, which is objective, were combined, aggregated, and it ran up to over 200 per cent. So, based on that, the view of the economic situation in the country, we aggregated the two, and we arrived at 114 per cent.”

The RMAFC commissioner further justified the increment, explaining that “for 15 years, the salaries for the political, judicial and public officeholders have not been reviewed.”

Salary increment for Messrs Tinubu, other politicians, and judicial staff has sparked public outrage among Nigerians. Many berated Mr Tinubu for calling Nigerians to sacrifice in his Democracy Day speech after sudden fuel subsidy removal without provision of palliatives for citizens, while he and other politicians are to get salary increments. 

Citing Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, who represented RMAFC chairman, on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi, News Agency of Nigeria, a state-owned newspaper, on Wednesday reported that the agency adjusted the remuneration of Messrs Tinubu, Shettima, and other political and judicial officeholders by 114 per cent.

Ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi criticised the proposed salary increment for Mr Tinubu, other politicians and judicial staff by RMFAC, calling for its reversal because it will increase the economic hardship already experienced in the country. 

Mr Obi, Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential poll, called for reversing the planned salary increment in a series of tweets on Thursday, saying leaders should sacrifice for citizens.