RMAFC Chairman, Shehu, gives reasons for review of public office holders’ salaries

Mohammed Bello Shehu, the chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), denied suggestions that the ongoing review of remuneration was intended to raise the incomes of politicians and others holding public office.

Shehu, a participant in the Channels Television programme Sunrise Daily, stated that the process was started in response to recent calls for a review of judges’ pay.
According to him, the comprehensive evaluation of pay will also result in the resolution of other pertinent issues.

He referenced section 32(D) of part 1 of the third schedule of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 constitution, as amended, which gives the Commission the authority to choose the compensation that is appropriate for those who hold political, public, and judicial office in the nation.

He also claimed that no ministers in the country earns more than one million naira monthly.

“There are lots of lapses in renumeration, so this is what has informed us to do this exercise now, it is not true that we are just trying to like put a bonus or a jumbo package to president, governors and legislators, and contrary to what a lot of people perceive and believe to be so that legislators and senators have jumbo salaries, no; there is no legislator, no senator, no minister that earns over a million naira a month in Nigeria”, Shehu said

“The president set up a committee and the committee made recommendations and he ordered the Attorney General of the federation to liaise with the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission to look into this and come up with something.

”So we are not only looking at that, we feel it is time to review the entire package, review does not mean we are going to increase it or we are going to reduce it or it’s going to remain same, we are going to look at all other issues and these things will be done scientifically, so it’s not anything that is new to the commission”, he added.