The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to stop the proposed salary increment for political and public office holders in the country.
The group warned that failure to act would leave it with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings against the federal government and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
In a letter dated August 23, 2025, and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP described the planned pay rise for the president, vice president, governors, their deputies, and members of the National Assembly as unlawful and insensitive to the prevailing economic situation in Nigeria.
The organisation stressed that the commission’s mandate does not extend to arbitrarily raising salaries for top office holders, particularly at a time when millions of Nigerians are living in poverty and many state governments are struggling to pay workers’ wages and pensions.
SERAP urged the president to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to ensure compliance with a 2021 judgment delivered by Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Lagos. The ruling had directed RMAFC to reduce the salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers to reflect the country’s harsh economic realities.
The case was initiated through consolidated suits filed by civil society organisations, including SERAP, BudgIT, and Enough is Enough Nigeria, alongside over 1,500 concerned citizens.
The group criticised RMAFC for attempting to justify the pay hike on the grounds that the current salaries of political office holders are “paltry,” a claim attributed to the commission’s chairman, Mohammed Bello, on August 18.
It maintained that instead of increasing wages for politicians, the commission ought to review them downward in line with existing court orders and the nation’s dire economic challenges.
According to SERAP, approving a pay rise for the president, vice president, governors, and lawmakers would not only be a misuse of the commission’s statutory powers but would also undermine the public interest.
The organisation emphasised that constitutional authority must not override the fundamental rights of citizens, especially at a time when more than 133 million Nigerians live below the poverty line.
SERAP has insisted that the government take immediate steps to block the proposed increment within seven days of receiving its letter.
Should the federal authorities fail to act, the organisation vowed to pursue all legal options to compel compliance and protect Nigerians from what it termed a reckless abuse of public resources.
