After last year’s review of the remuneration of judicial office holders, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has begun a retreat in Kano aimed at harmonising reports that will help it come up with appropriate remuneration packages for political and public office holders across the country.
The move is notwithstanding the public outcry that greeted the announcement by the Chairman of RMAFC, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, on Monday that the commission is in the process of reviewing the remuneration of political office holders in the country.
Declaring the retreat open, the Chairman of the Remuneration and Monetisation Committee, RMAFC, Hon. Mohammed Kabeer Usman, who also serves as the Federal Commissioner representing Gombe State, underscored the importance of the assignment to the stability and growth of Nigeria’s governance structure.
Hon. Usman reminded participants that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers the Commission to determine appropriate remuneration for political, public, and judicial office holders at all levels. He noted that the Commission had earlier taken some steps towards the review of the remuneration package to reflect prevailing economic realities.
According to him, the Commission carefully considered a wide range of perspectives, including memoranda from stakeholders, public hearings, and ministerial submissions, while also drawing from economic indicators and remuneration practices in other countries.
He further explained that the review process was not only about figures but also about sustainability and affordability. “The Commission has equally analyzed the capacity of government to implement the review package, ensuring that recommendations remain fair, realistic, and sustainable,” he stated.
Speaking further, Hon. Usman disclosed that the Committee was directed to harmonise the earlier report and subsequent addendum into a single document so as to provide a clear and comprehensive framework for implementation.
He appealed to members to bring their diverse experience and knowledge to bear, stressing that the retreat must produce outcomes that are balanced and beneficial to all. “I implore everyone to contribute towards achieving the purpose of our gathering, given our varied knowledge and wealth of experience,” he said.
The retreat is expected to set a sustainable framework for political, public, and judicial office holders’ remuneration in line with the mandate of the Commission. Present at the retreat are RMAFC Federal Commissioners: Hon. Adamu Fanda representing Kano State, Hon. Henry Nduka Awuregu, Hon. Aruviere Egharhevwa representing Delta State, Hon. Hassan Usman Mahmud representing Kaduna State, Hon. Hauwa Umar Aliyu representing Jigawa State, Hon. (Prof.) Steve Davies Ugbah representing Benue State, Hon. Abdulazeez Idris King representing Kogi State, Hon. Aliyu A. Abdulkadir representing Nassarawa State, and Hon. Nathaniel Adojutelegan representing Ondo State.
On Monday, while addressing the media on the take-off of the review of the revenue allocation formula for the three tiers of government in the country, RMAFC Chairman Shehu hinted that the last time the remuneration of political office holders in Nigeria was reviewed was in 2008.
Shehu said: “You cannot pay a minister less than N1 million per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things. You pay either a CBN governor or the DG ten times more than you pay the President. That is just not right. Or you pay him \[the head of an agency] twenty times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right.”
This decision to review the salaries of political office holders has drawn the anger of many Nigerians, with some asking the political office holders to resign and join the private sector if they wanted fat salaries.
* Media Report