Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, on Tuesday, criticised the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)’s proposal to increase the salaries of political office holders, calling it unjustifiable given the widespread economic hardship in the country. He argued that such a move signified disregard for the suffering of ordinary citizens.
“I want to believe that RMAFC has not taken cognisance of the living standards in the country, particularly the harrowing experience of ordinary people,” Mr Falana said during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme Tuesday morning.
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The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) maintained that RMAFC’s consideration of salary raise for political office holders is insensitive, in view of President Bola Tinubu’s acknowledgment of widespread economic struggles of many Nigerians.
He said if members of the executive are mindful of the country’s economic situation, highlighting the need to “cut down the excesses of public officers, RMAFC cannot go around justifying an increase (in the political officers’ pay) when the ordinary poor people cannot afford three square meals a day.”
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Mr Falana urged RMAFC to collaborate with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages (NSIWC) with a view to reviewing the salaries of civil servants across the country instead of the pay of politicians.
He railed at the insensitivity of proposing higher public office emoluments at a time when the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported over 133 million Nigerians as multidimensionally poor.
In 2022, the NBS launched a Multidimensional Poverty Index, which highlighted that 133 million people, representing 63 percent of Nigeria’s population, were poor.
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Mr Falana, who has been part of protests against perceived anti-people policies for decades, noted with concern that many Nigerians could not afford medical bills and school fees. He urged RMAFC to review its position to avoid provoking the citizens.
RMAFC recently announced that it was holding a strategic retreat in Kano State to review remuneration packages for public office holders.
Mr Falana’s criticism tallied with similar views voiced by others, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The NLC expressed concerns over the RMAFC’s proposed salary increase for political office holders, describing it as insensitive and inequitable.
During the interview, Mr Falana also criticised the devaluation of the naira as one of the reasons for the widespread economic hardship in the country.
Nigeria’s naira has depreciated significantly since Mr Tinubu took over office in 2023, shedding over 70 per cent of its value. This was fuelled by the harmonisation of the exchange rate and removal of costly fuel subsidies. Within this period, the value of the local currency against the dollar depreciated from N461.6/$1 to N1,5 00/$1 and above. The removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government about the same time worsened the high cost of living crisis in the country.
The dual policies, which are at the heart of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, brought far-reaching consequences for the government, businesses, and households.
