The Federal Government has resolved to push forward with the review of salaries and allowances for President Bola Tinubu, state governors, legislators, and other political office holders, despite rising public disapproval.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on Thursday opened a retreat in Kano to deliberate on a fresh remuneration framework for political, public, and judicial office holders nationwide.
At the opening session, Mohammed Kabeer Usman, Chairman of the Commission’s Remuneration and Monetisation Committee and Federal Commissioner representing Gombe State, defended the initiative as constitutional and necessary.
He explained that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, empowers RMAFC to determine suitable remuneration packages for political, public, and judicial office holders across all tiers of government. He maintained that the review was prompted by prevailing economic conditions as well as comparative practices in other countries.
Usman disclosed that the commission had undertaken wide consultations, drawing from memoranda submitted by stakeholders, ministerial inputs, and public hearings before arriving at its recommendations.
He stressed that the exercise went beyond figures, saying it was also about ensuring sustainability and affordability within government finances.
“The commission has analysed the capacity of government to implement the review package, ensuring that recommendations remain fair, realistic, and sustainable,” he said.
The retreat also tasked the committee with consolidating earlier reports and supplementary documents into a single framework for implementation.
Usman called on participants to apply their expertise towards producing a balanced outcome capable of reinforcing governance.
Those in attendance included commissioners representing various states such as Adamu Fanda (Kano), Henry Nduka Awuregu, Aruviere Egharhevwa (Delta), Hassan Usman Mahmud (Kaduna), Hauwa Umar Aliyu (Jigawa), Professor Steve Davies Ugbah (Benue), Abdulazeez Idris King (Kogi), Aliyu Abdulkadir (Nasarawa), and Nathaniel Adojutelegan (Ondo). Also present were the Committee Secretary and Director of Fiscal Efficiency, Dr Tanimu Adamu Aliyu.
