The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the proposed salary increase for top political and public office holders in Nigeria. The move challenges a recent proposal by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which had described the current salaries of officials, including the President, governors, and lawmakers, as “paltry.”
The lawsuit, with the number FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025, asks the court to declare the proposed pay hike unlawful and unconstitutional. SERAP argues that the increment is inconsistent with Nigeria’s constitutional provisions and the RMAFC Act, and is out of touch with the country’s economic realities.
A Call for Downward Review
Instead of an increase, SERAP is urging the court to order the RMAFC to review salaries and allowances downward. According to the group, this would align the compensation of political office holders with the difficult economic conditions facing ordinary Nigerians, where millions are poor and many state governments struggle to pay workers’ salaries and pensions.
SERAP’s lawsuit asserts that the RMAFC’s mandate does not grant it unlimited powers to arbitrarily increase salaries. The group also referenced a previous court judgment from June 2021, which had ordered the RMAFC to review the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members to reflect the economic realities of the country.
No date has been set for the hearing of the lawsuit. The case is expected to be a key test of the RMAFC’s powers and could decide whether politicians will receive a pay raise at a time when Nigerians are struggling with high inflation and a declining standard of living.
