The Labour Party has strongly criticized the call by the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mr. Mohammed Shehu, for a salary increase for Nigerian politicians.
In a statement signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Prince Tony Akeni, the party described the proposal as “unconscionable and insensitive,” especially at a time when millions of Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship.
Mr. Shehu, while addressing journalists, had claimed that the President earns N18 million annually, about N1.5 million monthly, while ministers receive N12 million per annum, or N1 million monthly. The Labour Party, however, faulted the claim, insisting that the President already lives in affluence beyond his salary, citing a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) report that dismissed such figures.
The party warned that pushing for higher salaries for politicians would only worsen Nigeria’s debt profile, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of deepening corruption and mortgaging the future of unborn generations.
Instead, the LP urged the RMAFC to focus on reviewing and increasing the national minimum wage, currently pegged at N70,000, which it described as inadequate. The statement recalled that even the United States government had recently advised Nigeria to improve workers’ welfare, stressing that politicians should not be prioritized over struggling citizens.
“The fight to dismantle the structure of corruption is not Labour Party’s fight alone but that of all Nigerians,” the statement read, while calling on citizens to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections to resist what it called “the wolf packs ravaging our values and destiny as a great country.”
