it is neither constitutional nor moral for lawmakers to decide their salaries – Former President, Obasanjo

During a speech at the 60th-anniversary celebration of Aare Afe Babalola’s call to the Bar in Ado Ekiti on Monday, July 10, former President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed his view that it is both unconstitutional and immoral for lawmakers to determine their own salaries. He pointed out that those who are meant to uphold the law are the ones undermining it.

Obasanjo emphasized that the responsibility of determining salaries for elected officials lies with the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). However, he highlighted the current trend where lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to fix their own salaries.

“Under paragraph 32(a-e) of Part I to the third schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the commission is saddled with determining the remuneration appropriate for political officeholders, including legislators, among other functions. The point in Nigeria which I have seen and which I can attest to is most of the people who are supposed to be operationalising or managing and seeing the constitution and democracy move forward, they are actually the ones who undermine the constitution. 

All elected people, by our constitution, their emolument is supposed to be fixed by the revenue mobilisation commission, but our lawmakers set that aside and they make laws and put any emolument for themselves. Even if that is constitutional, it is not moral and, of course, it is neither constitutional nor moral.” he said