RMAFC Denies Salary Increase For Tinubu, Govs, Others

The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has denied media reports claiming that it has approved the increment of salaries of political office-holders, judicial and public office holders by 114 per cent.

The RMAFC Public Relations Officer, Christian Nwachukwu, said President Bola Tinubu has not given approval for the increment of salaries of public servants.

Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, a Federal Commissioner in the Commission, had made the salary increment remark when she represented RMAFC chairman, Mohammad Shehu, at the presentation of the reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, in Birnin Kebbi, on Tuesday June 20. Tanko-Ayuba reportedly said that implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages was effective from January 1, 2023, a claim that has been denied by the Commission’s spokesman.

“Not my chairman. Not my chairman. My chairman has never made any statement on it. And I have not made any statement on it. No statement from chairman, no statement from me. So, I don’t know. I heard one of the Commissioners said it. I don’t want to be quoted. No approval yet. There is no approval yet. I don’t know the source of that story. Everything is under the process. It has to come as a Bill for Mr President to assent. The President has not given assent. Until the President gives assent, you cannot take it as if it has taken effect. You know that. You are a journalist. I don’t want to be quoted wrongly. The President has not given assent to it. It is still under the process,” Nwachukwu said

When asked if the National Assembly has begun work on the proposal, he said;

“It will be sent to National Assembly. Whichever way, whether it has been sent or not, the President has not assented to it. All those legislative process has to be completed; finally, it will land on Mr President’s table for assent. That has not been completed.”

Asked if the story making the rounds on salary increment is not true, Nwachukwu said: “just take it the way you understand it so that you don’t quote me anyhow.”

On if the RMAFC has sent the executive bill through FEC to the National Assembly for deliberation, Nwachukwu simply said: “everything is under the process.”

It would be recalled that the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Muhammad Shehu, has said the salaries of politicians, judicial and public office holders would be increased by 114 per cent.

He said 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).

He advised the Houses of Assembly in the states to move quickly on the amendment of relevant laws to pave way for upward review of income packages for political, judicial and public officers.

He said the last remuneration review was conducted in 2007, adding that it culminated in the “certain political, public and judicial office holders (salaries and allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008”.

Tanko-Ayuba said: “Sixteen years after the last review, it is imperative that the remuneration packages for the categories of the office holders mentioned in relevant sections of the 1999 constitution (as amended) be reviewed.