PDP, NNPP, and ADC describe the move as “insensitive” and “tone-deaf,” urging the government to cut governance costs and focus on raising the minimum wage
Nigeria’s major opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have strongly rejected the proposed salary increment for political office holders, branding it a reckless and insensitive move at a time of severe economic distress.
The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) recently announced plans to review the pay structure for the President, Vice President, ministers, governors, and other top officials. The Commission argued that salaries last reviewed in 2008 are now outdated. But opposition voices insist the proposal smacks of greed, poor judgment, and a disturbing disconnect from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, condemned the proposal as a betrayal of public trust. According to him, the nation’s priority should be cost-cutting and accountability, not enriching politicians. “It is highly insensitive for such an issue to be raised amid hunger, inflation, and the collapse of our naira. Leaders should be talking about reducing overheads, not fattening themselves at the people’s expense,” Osadolor declared, warning that ignoring the people’s suffering could spark widespread resentment.
Similarly, NNPP’s South-West leader, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, described the idea as reckless and utterly out of touch with the plight of Nigerians battling hunger and eroding wages. “True leaders tighten their belts before asking citizens to make sacrifices,” he said, citing global precedents where leaders cut their pay during economic downturns to show solidarity with their citizens. “This reeks of tone-deafness and greed. Nigerian leaders must emulate that, not indulge themselves while the people suffer.”
The ADC also joined in the criticism, with its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissing the proposal as a “troubling display of disconnect between government and citizens.” He noted that political leaders already live in luxury compared to ordinary Nigerians, questioning why their “so-called outdated salaries” would suddenly need review. “Proposing such a review when millions are struggling with soaring food inflation, high fuel costs, and an inadequate minimum wage indicates a total disregard for the people. This is not leadership; it is self-preservation at the expense of citizens,” Abdullahi declared.
The three opposition parties jointly called on the Federal Government to immediately shelve the salary review plan and instead channel efforts toward raising the minimum wage to a truly livable standard. They emphasized the urgent need to reduce the bloated cost of governance and adopt fiscal discipline as a way of showing solidarity with struggling citizens.
“What Nigeria requires today is not politicians feeding fat while citizens suffer but bold policies that prioritize the most vulnerable,” Abdullahi stressed, while Ajadi of the NNPP added: “Rather than enriching political elites, the government should focus on easing the hardship afflicting millions of Nigerians.”
At a time when inflation, hunger, and currency depreciation have left citizens grappling with survival, the opposition insists that any attempt to increase politicians’ pay would only deepen public frustration and widen the gulf between the leaders and the led.
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