The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has reportedly approved a 114% rise in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, Vice President, governors, legislators and holders of judicial and public office.
RMAFC is tasked with determining the appropriate remuneration for political officeholders such as the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Legislators, and those mentioned in Sections 84 and 124 of this Constitution, Daily Trust reports.
The commission urged the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states to expedite efforts to amend relevant laws to allow for upward review of remuneration packages for political, judicial, and public officers.
According to NAN, the RMAFC Chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, made the call while presenting reports on the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi, represented by a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba.
He stated that the implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages would begin on January 1, 2023, and that the move was in accordance with the provision of paragraph 32(d) of part 1 of the Third Schedule of the federal government’s 1999 constitution (as amended).
He said the last remuneration review was conducted in 2007, noting that it culminated in the “certain political, public and judicial office holders (salaries and allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008”.
Shehu said, “It empowers the revenue mobilisation, allocation and fiscal commission 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 the offices mentioned in sections 84 and 124 of the constitution of the federal government.
“Sixteen years after the last review, it is imperative that the remuneration packages for the categories of the office holders mentioned in relevant sections of the 1999 constitution (as amended) should be reviewed.
“Pursuant to the above, your excellency may please recall that on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023, the commission held a one-day zonal public hearing on the review of the remuneration package simultaneously in all the six (6) geo-political zones of the country. The aim of the exercise was to harvest inputs/ideas from a broad spectrum of stakeholders.”
He said the commission had objectively and subjectively reviewed the salary packages in the reports, adding that it adheres to the rules of equity and fairness, risk and responsibilities, national order of precedence among others.
“The subjective criteria reflected the various expression by stakeholders through memoranda received, opinion expressed during the zonal public hearings and responses to questionnaires administered.
“The objectives of the criteria were obtained from analysis of macro-economic variables particularly the Consumer Price Index (CPI),” he noted.
The chairman added that the commission was also guided by some principles, including equity and fairness; risk and responsibilities; national order of precedence; motivation and tenure of office.
Shehu said that having considered the impact of the review on the economy, the remuneration of the political, public and judicial office holders in the country was adjusted “upward by 114%.”
The chairman explained that with respect to the judicial office holders, the commission considered the introduction of three new allowances.
He listed the allowances to include, “Professional Development Assistant: This is to allow for the provision of two law clerks to all judicial officers in the country.
“Long Service Allowance: This is to guarantee seniority/hierarchy between officers who have been on the bench for a minimum of five years and those that are appointed newly.
“Restricted or Forced Lifestyle: This is to take care of the nature of the lifestyle of judicial officers while in active service.”
RMAFC denies salary increase for Tinubu, Governors, others
The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has denied that it has approved the increment of salaries of political office-holders, judicial and public office holders by 114 per cent.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP, RMAFC Public Relations Officer, Christian Nwachukwu, said President Bola Tinubu has not given approval for the increment of salaries of public servants.
Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, a Federal Commissioner in the Commission, had made the salary increment remark when she represented RMAFC chairman, Mohammad Shehu, at the presentation of the reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, in Birnin Kebbi, on Tuesday.
Tanko-Ayuba reportedly said that implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages was effective from January 1, 2023, a claim that has been strongly denied by the Commission’s spokesman.
“Not my chairman. Not my chairman. My chairman has never made any statement on it. And I have not made any statement on it. No statement from chairman, no statement from me. So, I don’t know. I heard one of the Commissioners said it. I don’t want to be quoted,” the RMAFC spokesperson told our Correspondent while denying the Commissioner’s assertion.
“No approval yet. There is no approval yet. I don’t know the source of that story. Everything is under the process. It has to come as a Bill for Mr President to assent.
“The President has not given assent. Until the President gives assent, you cannot take it as if it has taken effect. You know that. You are a journalist.
