RMAFC’s Preposterous Proposal To Raise Salaries By 114 Percent

Following the public outcry trailing the controversial recommendation by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for a review and 114 per cent raise in the salary of political office holders and judicial officers, the presidency has now somewhat distanced President Bola Tinubu from the highly insensitive and provocative proposition. Insensitive because the announcement was made when the federal government’s austerity measures were already asphyxiating Nigerians of their living income with no respite on the horizon. Arguing that the increment is only on the basic salary of these officials is unintelligent since their allowances (which are often shrouded in secrecy) are commensurate percentages of the basic salary. Hence, nobody should hoodwink Nigerians on that basis.

To gain from this salary review are the President, Vice President, federal and state legislators, governors, as well as judicial officers. Also to benefit are political appointees like ministers, special advisers, and chairmen of boards of parastatals. Thankfully, the RMAFC cannot pronounce its recommendation into existence. In the case of federal public officers, the proposal will require approval from the president and other cabinet members and thereafter sent to the National Assembly through an executive bill for passage. And for the proposal to have effect at the sub-national level, it would require the governor and his executive council’s consideration after which the proposal will be forwarded as an executive bill to the house of assembly. This newspaper regrets that some of those penciled as beneficiaries are officials already earning staggering amounts of money as pension entitlements from previously occupied political offices.

The current kerfuffle started when the RMAFC Chairman, Muhammadu Shehu while presenting reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, on Tuesday, revealed that the Commission had recommended a 114 per cent increase in salaries of elected politicians and judicial office holders. Speaking through a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, he said, “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”. Sections 84 and 124 of the Constitution saddles RMAFC with the responsibility of determining the appropriate remuneration for political office holders, including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Legislators and other holders of public offices.

As condemnation of its proposal mounted, RMAFC doubled down through another federal commissioner, Hassan Usman, who told a national broadcaster that elected officials, as well as the populace, were all confronted with the same harsh economy, stressing that the current consumer price index formed part of their consideration for the increment. Really? Aren’t these public officials already living off the state resources? Does the state not feed and clothe them, fuel the numerous cars in their convoy? What living expenses do they privately foot? Before the commission can advance its argument, it should consider the heaven-and-earth disparity between the earnings of these political office holders and civil servants surviving on the minimum wage! This is not to mention the 130 million Nigerians living in poverty. We cannot but wonder how deserving these public officials are of this increase in terms of service delivery. It appears that the proposed increment is just for the hell of it not as a reward for any fantastic job. How disingenuous!

Not yet done, Usman pointed out that the salary of Nigeria’s President is one of the lowest when compared with all the other presidents, adding that the annual salary of the president falls around N7million. If this is actually the case, how about other mouth-watering perks, allowances and benefits? Naija News is forced to ask this do-gooder of a commission whether the President is complaining. As it turned out the Specilal Adviser to the President on Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, has vehemently denied that his principal approved the increase in top public officials’ salaries. His dismissal of the said approval as fake news isn’t enough for Nigerians to move on from the matter. The fact remains that such a plan is in the works.

Unfortunately, despite all the blustery and browbeating in the presidency’s statement, Nigerians were not told what Tinubu would do when the proposal comes before him for consideration. In the event of this scenario, Nigerians expect the President to vote for a reduction in the cost of governance. Having repeatedly called for the making of sacrifices by the citizens, the President should rally members of the political class to do the same by foregoing part of their stupendous emoluments. The President should seize the moment and pursue this agendum the same way he recently got members of the National Assembly to deliver hlllis preferred candidates for the Senate presidency and Speakership positions.

We insist that the onus is on Tinubu to ensure a reduction in the salaries of elected and appointed public officers owing to his removal of fuel subsidy and liberalization of the forex regime, both of which have increased the prices of goods and services. There is equally the feared removal of education subsidy in the form of tuition fees and the imminent 40 percent increment in electricity tariffs. In fact, the President should publicly direct the RMAFC to drop the idea if only to walk his talk: “Painfully, I have asked you, my compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country”. This excerpt from Tinubu’s Democracy Day address will resonate more when he pursues measures that won’t make the poor subsidize the opulence and extravagance of public officials. This is against the backcloth of the Debt Management Office, DMO’s repeated warnings over low government revenue and the need for more taxes.

Rather than imposing more taxes on an already impoverished populace, cutting the cost of governance should be the way to go. There are many wastages in the system which if blocked will go a long way in oiling the wheels of government. While we do not begrudge the RMAFC for carrying out their constitutional duty, the Commission must be told in clear terms that the review of public officers’ salaries can be done both ways. With the President urging Nigerians to further tighten their belts, managers of the RMAFC should see this as a cue to rather propose a major reduction in the salary of public office holders. This will help the long-suffering masses find solace in the fact that “we are in this together”. With such an apropos downward review of salaries, the commission wouldn’t have to make the vexatiously rapacious recommendation merely because the last review dates back to 2007!

In a seeming attempt to walk back the contentious proposal, the RMAFC spokesman yesterday denied that the commission approved the increment of salaries for public office holders. At least, he admitted that the contentious issue is only under review. Naija News, therefore, calls on Nigerians to be vigilant lest the recommendation is clandestinely implemented or through the backdoor. It is evil for the commonwealth of the country to continually be cornered and plundered by a very few without any care for the overwhelming majority of Nigerians wallowing in penury and misery.