SERAP urges Tinubu to halt ‘unlawful’ pay rise for politicians, warns of legal action

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to stop the proposed salary increase for political and public office holders, describing it as “patently unlawful, unconstitutional, and unjustifiable” in light of Nigeria’s current economic challenges.

In a letter dated 23 August 2025, signed by its deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged Tinubu to direct the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to suspend the plan, which covers the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers.

The organisation also pressed Tinubu to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to ensure compliance with a 2021 Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor, which ordered RMAFC to review downward the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members in line with prevailing economic realities.

SERAP accused RMAFC of arbitrarily exercising its powers to the detriment of ordinary Nigerians, warning that the commission has no “unrestrained constitutional mandate” to raise politicians’ pay at a time when:

Over 133 million Nigerians live in poverty,

Several states struggle to pay workers’ salaries and pensions, and

Public services such as health, water, and electricity remain in decline.

“Suspending the imminent pay rise would serve legitimate public interests,” SERAP wrote.

“RMAFC cannot justify increasing salaries for politicians when millions of poor Nigerians continue to pass through harrowing times and watch their standards of living plummet.”

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The group also alleged that the commission has consistently acted to “give advantage to political office holders over the interests of poor Nigerians,” and insisted that pay increases should instead be considered for judges, to improve the judiciary’s independence and access to justice.

SERAP gave Tinubu seven days to act, threatening to take “all appropriate legal actions” to compel compliance if the administration fails to suspend the pay hike.

On 18 August 2025, RMAFC chairman Mohammed Bello announced plans to propose a pay rise for top political office holders, arguing that their current salaries were “paltry” and that a review was long overdue since the last overhaul occurred in 1992.

He described the proposed package as “fair, realistic, and sustainable,” claiming it was aligned with Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions.

But critics argue that such justification is flawed given the worsening cost-of-living crisis. SERAP insists that raising politicians’ salaries now would amount to a gross violation of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution, which outlines the government’s duty to promote citizens’ welfare, as well as Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.

The controversy comes amid rising public anger over widening inequality in Nigeria. While politicians and top officials continue to enjoy generous allowances and life pensions, ordinary Nigerians face mounting hardship due to inflation, currency depreciation, and declining purchasing power.

Analysts say the issue of political pay remains a test of President Tinubu’s commitment to governance reforms and fiscal responsibility, especially as his administration has repeatedly called for shared sacrifice in addressing the country’s economic woes.