The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately halt the proposed salary increase for top political office holders, describing the move as “unlawful, unconstitutional, and a betrayal of Nigeria’s struggling masses.”
In a strongly worded letter dated August 23, 2025, and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the rights group urged President Tinubu to order the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to reverse its decision to increase the pay of elected officials, including the president, vice-president, governors, deputies, and lawmakers.
SERAP said the proposal amounted to a gross misuse of RMAFC’s constitutional powers and ignored the dire economic realities confronting Nigerians, with over 133 million citizens reportedly living in poverty.
“RMAFC 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,” the organisation wrote.
The group argued that raising politicians’ salaries while many states struggle to pay workers and pensioners demonstrates a dangerous prioritisation of political elites over the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
It added that such a move directly contradicts the constitutional obligation of the government to promote equality, social justice, and the protection of fundamental rights.
A major point of SERAP’s objection was the alleged contempt of a subsisting court order.
The group reminded President Tinubu of a landmark judgment delivered on June 4, 2021, by Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
That ruling, obtained through a consolidated suit filed by SERAP, BudgIT, and other civil society organisations, directed RMAFC to reduce the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members in line with Nigeria’s economic circumstances.
Instead of complying, SERAP said, the commission has now acted in direct violation of the order by proposing an upward review.
“This contemptuous action is not only unlawful but also undermines the rule of law and Nigeria’s democratic system,” the letter stated.
The RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Bello, had on August 18 defended the proposed pay rise, insisting that the current salaries of political office holders are inadequate.
He described the new package as “fair, realistic, and sustainable,” stressing that the last comprehensive review of the revenue allocation formula was carried out in 1992, with only marginal adjustments since 2002.
But SERAP dismissed Bello’s arguments as “arbitrary and ill-timed,” pointing out that Nigerian citizens face persistent hardships, including unreliable access to healthcare, water, and electricity.
“Improving the comfort of politicians when basic public services are collapsing is a betrayal of constitutional principles and the social contract with the people,” the group said.
SERAP also invoked President Tinubu’s own words, reminding him of his inauguration pledge to uphold the constitution and rule of law and to foster a better society through shared sacrifice.
The organisation argued that halting the pay rise would align with Tinubu’s oath of office and demonstrate leadership sensitivity at a time of national difficulty.
It added, however, that it supported a review of judicial salaries and conditions of service, noting that Nigerian judges have long been underpaid compared to their workload and responsibilities.
Improving judicial welfare, SERAP said, would enhance access to justice, particularly in cases of corruption and human rights abuses.
SERAP gave the president a seven-day ultimatum to comply with its demand, warning that failure to act would compel the group to initiate all appropriate legal actions against his administration and the RMAFC.
“The proposed pay rise for politicians is unconstitutional, unjustifiable, and inconsistent with Nigeria’s socio-economic realities.
“If not suspended, we will take every lawful step to compel compliance in the public interest,” the letter concluded.
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