The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has vowed to sue President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the contentious proposal to increase salaries of top government officials, including the president and the vice president.
SERAP, which asked President Tinubu to as a matter of urgency, reject the proposed outrageous increase of the elected public office holders’ salaries, also threatened to sue the Nigerian government over the N24 billion voted by the government to be spent on accommodation of the 10th National Assembly members.
In a terse statement on its Twitter handle, SERAP on Wednesday said: “The Tinubu administration must reject the outrageous proposals to raise the salaries of elected politicians by 114% and spend N24bn on accommodation for 10th National Assembly members. We’ll see in court if the proposals are not immediately withdrawn”.
SERAP further added that: “We’re suing the Tinubu administration over its outrageous and illegal 114 per cent increase in the salaries of the President, vice president, state governors and lawmakers, while over 133 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty”.
Credible News recalls that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, had recommended an increase in the basic salaries of those holding judicial and political office.
The Chairman of RMAFC, Muhammad Shehu, on Tuesday while presenting the reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Nasir Idris, governor of Kebbi, said the salaries of politicians, judicial and public office holders will be increased by 114 percent.
Shehu, who was represented by the federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, said that the implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages was effective from January 1, 2023, adding that the move was in accordance with the provision of paragraph 32(d) of part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution of the federal government (as amended).
The proposed salary increase was described as “outrageous,” with over 133 million Nigerians currently living in abject poverty.
Credible News recalls that the Nigerian government had voted to spend the sum of N5.87 billion yearly on housing allowances for members of the 10th National Assembly.
It therefore means that with the annual allocation of N5.87bn, in four years the Federal Government will spend N23.48bn on the lawmakers’ accommodation.