By Our Correspondent
Founder of Follow The Money, Hamzat Lawal, has urged political office holders agitating for higher salaries to resign from public service and seek employment in the private sector, insisting that the country cannot afford a pay rise at this time.
Lawal, who spoke on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, was reacting to the plan by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review the salaries of political office holders, including President Bola Tinubu.
“I understand that over 33 years, we have not really reviewed some of these allocations and the salary of the President, but this is not the time to do that; that country cannot afford it,” Lawal said. “If our politicians and political office holders think that they are not paid what they are due, they should resign and go and find a job that will pay them, or they can create their own companies and allocate salaries to themselves. Let them not put more burden than Nigerians are carrying.”
He faulted the move by RMAFC, describing it as misplaced and an attempt to please the President. “Again, this is about rent-seeking; this is about making the President happy, rather than focusing on their constitutional responsibility. I don’t even know why they have not made a statement or reacted to the fact that we have not got the budget performance or expenditure.”
Lawal further argued that the review was insensitive and politically risky for the President. “I think this is even a setup for Mr. President, because why would you want to make a decision that would make the leadership of the country so unpopular? I want to quote Mr. President. He said that we must tighten our belts; this is the time for sacrifice. So, why is it that the political office holders don’t want to also sacrifice? Why is it that it is the citizens who should carry this burden?”
He maintained that the discussion should not be limited to salaries but should include allowances, foreign trip estacodes, and the luxury benefits enjoyed by public officers. “The commission just focused on their salaries. Let’s talk about their allowances, let’s talk about their estacode when they travel for foreign trips. Some of them even ride in armoured cars. So, I think it’s insensitive and political suicide if, for any reason, Mr. President — after this commission puts together their report and all the consultation they hope to do — passes this into law.”
Lawal urged that instead of pushing for higher salaries for politicians, attention should shift towards granting financial autonomy to local governments and reallocating resources to improve the wages of lower-ranking public workers.
Meanwhile, RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu had disclosed that President Tinubu currently earns ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive less than ₦1 million — figures he described as outdated since they have remained unchanged since 2008.
