Politics

Obi speaks on proposed 114% salary increment for elected politicians

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has called for the immediate reversal of the salary increment for the president, vice president, and other elected politicians in the country.

Obi stressed that this is not the time for the salary increment for public office holders, adding that the focus should be on cutting the cost of governance and alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians.

The former two-term governor of Anambra State said this in a series of tweets on his Twitter account on Thursday, June 22.

It would be recalled that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), on Tuesday, said the salaries of politicians, judicial, and public office holders will be increased by 114 per cent.

The RMAFC chairman, Muhammad Shehu, who made this known, said the move was in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 32(d) of part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

Reacting to the proposed increment, Obi said: “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 (RMAFC).

“This is not the appropriate time for such 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 Ceaser, ‘What touches us ourself shall be last served.’ The leaders, therefore, should prioritize 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.”

The Star