News From Nigeria
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) over “the proposed salary increase for political and public office holders in Nigeria particularly the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers.”
RMAFC had last month disclosed the commission’s proposal to increase the salaries for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria, claiming that the salaries for these office holders are ‘paltry.’
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025 filed last week at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is asking the court to determine “whether RMAFC’s proposed salary hike for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria is not unlawful, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the rule of law.”
SERAP is asking the court for “a declaration that the proposed salary increase for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria is unlawful, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the rule of law as it violates the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and RMAFC’s Act.”
SERAP is seeking “an order of injunction restraining RMAFC, its agents and privies from taking any step to review upward the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria.”
SERAP is also seeking “an order directing RMAFC, its agents to review downward the salaries and allowances of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria to reflect the economic realities in the country.”
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that, “restraining the commission from arbitrarily increasing the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers would serve legitimate public interests.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “The RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates do not imply the unrestrained powers to increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers.”
According to SERAP, “Reviewing downward the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers would be entirely consistent and compatible with the Nigerian Constitution, the country’s international human rights obligations, and the current economic realities in the country.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms Oluwakemi Oni, and Andrew Nwankwo, read in part: “When the exercise of RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates clashes with Nigerians’ fundamental rights, the public interests in upholding these rights ought to prevail.”
“The imminent pay rise for political office holders is a gross violation of the provisions of chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution relating to Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, and the country’s international human rights obligations.”
“The combined provisions of chapter 2, and chapter 4 on fundamental rights particularly section 42 give meaning and substance to the socio-economic rights of Nigerians and their right to equality and non-discrimination.”
“The RMAFC should properly discharge its constitutional and statutory mandates to ‘monitor the accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account and ‘advise the Federal and State Governments on fiscal efficiency and methods by which their revenue can be increased.”
“The imminent pay rise for political and public office holders in Nigeria particularly the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers is a gross misuse of the RMAFC’s constitutional and statutory mandates.”
“The RMAFC has neither unrestrained constitutional and statutory mandates nor unbridled discretion to increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers.”
“The RMAFC has improperly and incorrectly exercised its constitutional and statutory mandates by increasing the salaries of political office holders. The proposed salary increase is a violation of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the country’s human rights obligations and the legal doctrine of reasonableness.”
“RMAFC cannot legitimately or justifiably increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers at a time when over 133 million Nigerians are poor and several state governments are failing to pay salaries of workers and pensions.”
“RMAFC seems to act consistently to give advantage to political office holders over the interests of poor Nigerians. The RMAFC, in the exercise of its constitutional and statutory mandates ought to balance the interests of the marginalised and vulnerable sectors of the population against the ‘interests’ of political office holders.”
“The RMAFC ought to prioritise cutting the excessive amounts yearly budgeted as allowances for political office holders and life pensions for former presidents, vice-presidents, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers.”
“The idea of representative democracy, fairness and equality and non-discrimination would mean little if the salaries of political office holders are arbitrarily increased while millions of poor Nigerians continue to pass through harrowing times and watch their standards of living plummet.”
“The grim condition of many Nigerians is worsened by the deterioration of public services where access to pipe-borne water and affordable health-care remains a dream and the supply of electricity is epileptic and unreliable in an era in which globalisation has made such services ubiquitous and cheap.”
“The RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Bello on 18 August 2025 reportedly stated the commission’s decision to propose a pay rise for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria on the seriously flawed ground that the salaries for these office-holders are ‘paltry.’”
“The commission claimed that the ‘review package’ ‘remain fair, realistic, and sustainable,’ and ‘align with the country`s current socio-economic realities.’”
“According to him, the allocation formula was last overhauled in 1992, saying that there had been several executive adjustments since 2002, but a full-scale overhaul had not been undertaken until now.”
“Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court Lagos ordered the RMAFC to review downward and fix the salaries, remuneration or allowances of members of the National Assembly to reflect the economic realities in the country.”
“The judgment dated 4 June 2021 followed the consolidated suits brought by Mr Monday Ubani, Mr John Nwokwu, more than 1,500 concerned Nigerians, SERAP, BudgIT and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE).”
“Under sections 154(1) and 156(3) and paragraph 31, Part I of the Third Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution, members of the Commission are appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Kolawole Oluwadare
SERAP Deputy Director
7/09/2025
Lagos, Nigeria
Emails: info@serap-nigeria.org; news@serap-nigeria.org
Twitter: @SERAPNigeria
Website: www.serap-nigeria.org
For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202
The prize of democracy is eternal vigilance. It will be reckless and the failure of democratic norms to leave a bull in a China shop. America has seen this kind of presidency before. Andrew Jackson was known for being crude and lawless when he rose to the presidency through populist campaigns in 1824.
American presidents have always genuflected to the caprice of land-owning white men. The demand for land by this group led to the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This was when America was a frontier nation. All Indians living in the east of the Mississippi were forcibly removed. This led to the trail of tears.
His presidency was just as erratic as Donald Trump’s presidency. He was censured by the US congress for firing the treasury secretary and trying to turn the American treasury to a private depository. He had slaves but was not outwardly hostile to blacks. But his statements on black slaves were telling: They should remain slaves or sent abroad. When asked whether he owned slaves, he said he has not bought or sold more than one or two slaves and he believes he was more or less the slave in the relationship.
He suppressed any movement for abolition of slavery during his presidency. He was a southern plantation owner with a lot of slaves who testified to his cruelty. What he is known for is his erratic nature, cruelty towards non-white peoples and lawlessness like Donald Trump.
Thomas Jefferson was so alarmed that he wrote of Andrew Jackson “He is one of the most unfit men for the place, he has no respect for law, his passions are terrible, and he is dangerous “.
Some of his actions supporting nullification of federal laws increased tension between North and South that led to the American civil war. It appears Donald Trump is copying a lot from Andrew Jackson.
The pardon of the rioters of Jan 6 has left a sour taste in the mouth of most Americans including a lot of his supporters. At this moment, Republicans are in the majority, and they are too scared to say no. There is no one to bell the cat.
Some of his policies are beginning to be seen as cruel to those who have no voice. He started with undocumented persons, now he is moving to cut care for elderly and disabled. This is why the opposition is growing.
The answer to Trump is not escapism for black people. Black Americans are the conscience of America. Democracy in America today is the result of black struggles. In fighting for their freedom, they freed everyone to enjoy the promises of America. They are the only group who has consistently spoken the truth to Pharaoh. A lot of immigrants who don’t understand this history always think they are succeeding until they meet the impediments of irrational white people who want to claim back their lost glory and make America white again.
Trump is the result. During the elections, you can see this irrationality in immigrant voters, descendants of Palestinian and Mexican and probably Nigerians too. The Palestinians mocked Kamala as being in the pocket of Netanyahu. They called her genocide Kamala. They gave victory to Donald Trump in democratic strongholds of Michigan. White women have also started crying. I don’t care.
They proudly cast their vote for Trump without knowing some basic history of Netanyahu and American politics. American politics is always crazy. The constant is Israel. The Democrats tried to moderate the behavior of Israel, while the Republicans are in support of anything Israel wants. For a Palestinian to look to a Republican president for some relief against Israel is like looking for water in the Sahara.
Netanyahu is also a special case. In his first year in office, Clinton was fuming after he had a meeting with Netanyahu. He asked his staff who he thinks he is, talking to the President of the United States that way. His staff replied. That is Netanyahu, Sir, he thinks he is the President of the United States, and you are his chief of Staff. That was then.
Bibi Netanyahu is all American. He grew up and studied in the United States. He knows the ways of Washington more than Donald Trump and Donald has surrendered the driver seat to him. Now the Palestinians and Mexicans are calling on black America to help them fight back. Black Americans say: we are looking forward to going on vacation at the new holiday resort that Donald Trump is constructing in Palestine. We have fought so much, we deserve a break. See you guys in four years if you have not been deported for protesting Israel occupation and Trump’s New Jerusalem: A place where all the angels of the choir are well paid by ELON MUSK. The angels are all white not Jews.
God bless Donald Trump. He has concentrated his energies on immigrants and the police have forgotten about black people. That is freedom!
All these folks voted against their personal interests and are supposed that Donald Trump will do Donald Trump. Now that the chickens are coming home to roost, they are crying ignorance. This is a democracy. It is your responsibility to know.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS
The person who cries loudest when a stone is thrown into the market is the one who has been hit. To him, everything is about tribal affiliation. For someone to grow, he or she must at some point learn whether his interaction is positive or negative with the people around him
A recalibration is not a weakness. I am an Isoko man from Delta state. This is what people like you will call a minority. Unlike you, I don’t wear my tribe on my forehead. I only use it as a reference point here .It does not connote power to me and it is not my whole identity.
When you use yours, it is everything to you because you have been raised to believe that without it, you have no power, and you have no identity.
When you are not invited to the high table, it means you are totally subjugated, and you feel your entire tribe is marginalized and your whole existence becomes meaningless.
It is a sad life when the definition of us becomes the group. This illusion obscures our humanity and our real identity as a person. This is the limitation that takes away the natural order of growth that increases our understanding of our environment and we are glued to the mirror and Narcissus becomes our best friend. Any counter view is considered an existential threat that must be eliminated with acidic fervor. Language becomes crude and vulgar and meaning is lost and progress stunted.
I don’t have those kinds of attachments and hang-ups because my existence is beyond anything that confines me. You have been raised to think otherwise. You are your tribe and your tribe is you. This ossification makes your cage very uncomfortable. No matter where you go, you can never belong.
I am a citizen of the world. I am home anywhere because I have never been raised to lord it over other people. I am not disappointed when I don’t meet your expectations which are clannish and subterranean. You take it as a personal affront when an independent observer talks about the need to rethink. From my vantage position, I can see how the interplay of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba affects the other people that you and others hardly think about. From the way I mentioned the tribes, you can see that they are in alphabetical order because someone like you will complain that i did put Igbo last.
I have written more on the Hausa / Fulani relationship and its effect on Nigeria. No one from there has accused me of myopia or stupidity. I am an equal opportunity offender. Why would you want me to include the South-West in an essay about Igbo and Fulani? You can write about the marginalization of Igbos if that is what you are worried about. You can also write about the relationship of Igbo and Yoruba. That should keep you busy because you have so much grudge. It is time the South-East people learn to deal with issues dispassionately.
How can a member of the big tribe preach marginalization to those of us you call minority? Everything in our land is harvested, devastated and divided among Igbo, Hausa and the Yoruba in Nigeria. Do the people from the dominant groups actually spend any time talking about justice? Your attitude is poor because it is self-serving. People like you only talk about justice when your tribe’s man is affected.
The Igbo candidate lost in the last election. If he had won, he would make everyone around him Igbo. I see nothing wrong with that. My quarrel is that we are not restructured, and the federation is lopsided. If we are well structured and every region is in charge of their resources, I will not care if you become president and all your family members become your cabinet. This is because most of the decisions they will make will not affect me and at that time, there will be a workable system that will check that kind of abuse. It is normal for people in high places to appoint people they can trust and have the vision of the leader. Buhari put all his people there. It was terrible because most of them were incompetent. In a well-structured country, it will not be necessary to be a kinsman in order to be appointed. We just want those who could do the job. The system we have now is the winner takes all. When Goodluck Jonathan was president, the majority of the cabinet was Igbos. The West and the North complained and they wrestled power from him. It was due to the insularity of the Igbos that Jonathan lost.
You are wrong to complain that you are marginalized when you could not work hard to re-elect the person who gave most of his cabinet positions to the Igbos. Your marginalization is self-imposed.
Learn how to work with others and they will work with you. It is pathetic when people like you whine about marginalization, when in actuality, you lack the discipline, dedication and the humility needed to form workable alliances.
For your homework, go and study how Bola Tinubu gained power. He stooped to conquer. I don’t think stooping is in the lexicon of the Igbos. This is why power will always elude you. You think we should beg you to lead because you are very smart. You are going to wait a very long time if you don’t change your attitude
Remember I am an equal opportunity offender. I will revisit this subject.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS