Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu “to direct the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to immediately suspend the patently unlawful and unconstitutional pay rise for political and public office holders in Nigeria particularly the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and the country’s lawmakers.”
SERAP called on the president to “reject the imminent pay rise for politicians and encourage your vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers to do the same.”
SERAP also urged Tinubu to “direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN to ensure full and effective compliance with the judgment of Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor directing the RMAFC to review downward the salaries and allowances of the members of the National Assembly to reflect the economic realities in the country.”
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In the letter dated 23 August 2025 and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “The RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates clearly do not imply the unrestrained powers to increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers.”
“On the basis of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the country’s international human rights obligations and the legal doctrine of reasonableness, the RMAFC has improperly and incorrectly exercised its constitutional and statutory mandates by increasing the salaries of political office holders.
“RMFAC cannot legitimately or justifiably increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers at a time when over 133 million Nigerians are poor and several state governments are failing to pay salaries of workers and pensions.
“SERAP supports the upward review of the remuneration, salaries and allowances and conditions of service for Nigerian judges in order to address the persistent poor treatment of judges, and to improve access of victims of corruption and human rights violations to justice and effective remedies.
“The RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Bello on 18 August 2025 reportedly stated the commission’s decision to propose a pay rise for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria on the seriously flawed ground that the salaries for these office-holders are ‘paltry.’”
It added, “The commission claimed that the ‘review package’ ‘remain fair, realistic, and sustainable,’ and ‘align with the country`s current socio-economic realities.’”
“According to him, the allocation formula was last overhauled in 1992, saying that there had been several executive adjustments since 2002, but a full-scale overhaul had not been undertaken until now.”
“SERAP notes that Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court Lagos ordered the RMAFC to review downward and fix the salaries, remuneration or allowances of members of the National Assembly to reflect the economic realities in the country.
“The judgment dated 4 June 2021 followed the consolidated suits brought by Mr Monday Ubani, Mr John Nwokwu, more than 1,500 concerned Nigerians, SERAP, BudgIT and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE).
“Under sections 154(1) and 156(3) and paragraph 31, Part I of the Third Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution, Members of the Commission are appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate.”