The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has come under fire from Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the February 25, 2023, elections, for its proposed increase of 114% in the pay of elected officials, including the president, vice president, governors, and lawmakers.
According to Truth Live News, the panel has come under fire for the suggestion.
In comments posted on his verified Twitter account on Thursday, Obi, who called the idea disrespectful, cautioned that it shouldn’t be a priority for a country that is still having trouble paying its citizens a decent wage and has over 133 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty.
He tweeted: “I learnt with great reservation, the approval of a 114% increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, vice president, governors, lawmakers as well as judicial and public office holders by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
“This is not the appropriate time for such a salary increment if it is at all necessary. We are living in a time when an average Nigerian is struggling with many harsh economic realities, and with over 130 million Nigerians now living in poverty. This is a moment when recent reform measures by the government have increased living costs astronomically.
“One would expect the leaders and public officeholders to focus on cutting the cost of governance, alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians. This moment calls for creative ways of pulling the majority out of poverty. In the immortal words of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, ‘What touches us ourself shall be last served.’
“The leaders, therefore, should prioritise what affects the masses and those on the lower strata of society over themselves. The sacrifice, at this time in our nation, should be borne by the leaders. The increment should be reversed immediately, and the savings should be devoted to fixing education, healthcare and poverty alleviation especially in the remote rural areas.”