Political pay rise threatens rule of law and equality, Serap warns

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to stop the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) from implementing a proposed pay rise for political office holders, warning that the move would violate both Nigeria’s Constitution and international human rights obligations.

In a statement issued on Sunday, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the planned upward review of salaries for the president, vice-president, governors, deputies, and lawmakers comes at a time when millions of Nigerians are living in grim conditions worsened by deteriorating public services.

“Access to pipe-borne water and affordable health care remains a dream, while electricity supply is epileptic and unreliable in an era where globalization has made such services cheap and widely available,” the group lamented.

Oluwadare argued that the proposed salary increase contradicts the provisions of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, as well as Chapter 4, which guarantees fundamental rights, including the right to equality and non-discrimination.

“Directing the RMAFC to suspend the imminent pay rise for political office holders will be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office and your oft-expressed commitment to ensure a better society and collective sacrifices from all Nigerians, as you pledged in your inauguration speech,” the statement noted.

SERAP also reminded Tinubu of his promise that Nigeria would be “impartially governed according to the Constitution and the rule of law,” urging him to show leadership at a time when most citizens are struggling with rising poverty and inflation.

The group further criticized the rationale advanced by RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Bello, who had on August 18, 2025, defended the proposal on the grounds that the current salaries of political office holders were “paltry.” According to him, the last full-scale overhaul of the allocation formula took place in 1992, with only executive adjustments since 2002.

In response, SERAP noted that a 2021 judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the RMAFC to review downward the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly to reflect economic realities. The judgment followed consolidated suits filed by concerned citizens and groups including SERAP, BudgIT, Enough is Enough (EiE), and others.

The organization, however, expressed support for an upward review of judges’ salaries and conditions of service, stressing that addressing their poor welfare is essential to improving access to justice, particularly for victims of corruption and human rights violations.

“Rather than rewarding political office holders with higher pay, the RMAFC should focus on discharging its constitutional duty of advising governments on fiscal efficiency and boosting revenues,” SERAP insisted.

The group urged the president to prioritize reforms that directly improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians, insisting that any increase in the emoluments of political elites would only deepen inequality and worsen citizens’ distrust in governance.