RMAFC Defends Salaries of Political Office Holders
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says political officeholders do not earn outrageous salaries.
Muhammed Shehu, chairman of the commission, made this known to NAN in Abuja on Sunday.
Shehu had earlier said the salaries of politicians, judicial and public office holders would be increased by 114 percent.
In the interview with NAN, he clarified that the review has been postponed due to economic challenges.
He said the salary of President Bola Tinubu is less than N1.5 million while ministers earn less than N1 million.
The RMAFC chairman said it is untrue that public officeholders were getting jumbo salaries.
“I want to disabuse the minds of Nigerians. It is not true that people are getting jumbo salaries,” he said.
“The monthly salary of Mr President is less than N1.5 million; that of a minister is not even up to one million naira.
“I know of an average CBN worker that is not even a director, who earns more than a minister.
“People in NNPC, NCC, ports authority earn huge salaries. What is the salary of a governor? What is the salary of a legislator?”
The RMAFC chairman said what is considered outrageous earnings are statutory office running costs, which should ordinarily be managed centrally by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASS).
“I know some people will say members of the National Assembly get up to 10 million or 11 million monthly,” he said.
“Those are not salaries, they are like operating costs of running their offices which in other societies the legislator does not have to see because there is a structure.
“Once you get elected, you make that structure from your constituency office to computers to logistics to the size of your constituency.
“Wherever you have constituency office, the workers you hire, it is the National Assembly Service commission that is supposed to take care of that.”
He said the Nigerian system allows a legislator to be allocated a certain amount, which is spent and the receipts retired.
