Opposition Blasts Plan to Raise Politicians’ Salaries Amid Mass Hardship

…Say RMFAC is ‘Tone Deaf’ to the State of the Nation

By Franklin Adole

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has come under heavy fire over its proposal to increase salaries of the President, Vice President, governors, and other top political officeholders, with opposition parties describing the move as “insensitive,” “tone-deaf,” and “a betrayal of public trust.”

In unanimity, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) rejected the plan, insisting that Nigerian workers, not politicians, deserve urgent relief through a living wage.

The ADC, in a strongly worded statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the proposal shows how disconnected the government and its agencies are from the reality of ordinary Nigerians struggling to survive.

“We know RMAFC has a constitutional role to review salaries, but to propose this at a time when millions are crushed by soaring food prices, rising fuel costs, and a grossly inadequate minimum wage of N70,000 is nothing short of contempt for the people. Politicians already live in obscene comfort through allowances and perks that ordinary Nigerians can only dream of. To demand more is an insult,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC argued that politicians already enjoy lifestyles funded by public resources and should not be insulated from the economic pain inflicted by the government’s policies. “Instead of padding the pockets of elites, the government must raise workers’ wages and expand social welfare to cushion the poor,” Abdullahi added.

Echoing this view, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor said the proposal is “highly insensitive and a betrayal of public trust.” He warned that enriching political elites while millions suffer hunger and inflation would only deepen public anger.

The NNPP’s South-West leader, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, condemned the plan as reckless, pointing to global precedents where leaders slash their own salaries in times of crisis. “True leaders tighten their belts first. This reeks of greed and tone-deafness. Nigerian leaders must show solidarity, not selfishness,” he said.

Similarly, the CUPP slammed the proposed 114 per cent pay hike for top politicians as “unjustifiable” and “tone-deaf,” stressing that public office is a duty, not a jackpot. In a statement issued by its Secretary, Chief Peter Ameh, the coalition demanded transparency on what political leaders currently earn, including their huge allowances.

“The lack of openness only fuels public mistrust. Nigerians are tired of watching politicians grow fat while they are crushed by hunger and poverty. This proposal must be shelved immediately,” Ameh said.

Across the opposition spectrum, the message was clear: at a time of hunger, spiralling inflation, and an eroded naira, raising politicians’ salaries is an insult to the people. Instead, they urged the government to cut the cost of governance, raise the minimum wage to a living standard, and channel resources into the welfare of workers and vulnerable Nigerians.

“The nation needs fiscal discipline, not gluttony from the political elite,” Ajadi of the NNPP stressed.