Obi knocks proposed 114% pay rise for elected politicians, says it’s insensitive

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, in the February 25, 2023 elections, has knocked the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) over its proposed 114 per cent increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, vice president, governors, and lawmakers.

Ripples Nigeria reports that the commission has been under fire over the recommendation.

Obi, who described the recommendation as insensitive in tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Thursday, warned that it should not be the priority of a nation still struggling with minimum wage with over 133 million Nigerians currently living in abject poverty.

Read also: Nigeria will benefit from exodus of Nigerians to other countries —Obi

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.’

⁹“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.”

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