The presidency has denied the allegation that President Bola Tinubu approved a 114% increase in the salaries of the President, Vice President, elected federal and state political office holders, and judicial officers.
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, Dele Alake, made this known in a statement on Thursday.
Recall that the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Muhammad Shehu, Wednesday said the salaries of politicians, judicial and public office holders would be increased by 114 per cent.
Shehu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, spoke on Tuesday while presenting the reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris.
But the development drew the ire of civil society organisations, CSOs, law lecturers and Senator Shehu Sani, who argued that the ordinary worker, whose take-home pay was nothing to write home about was the one that deserved such wage increment and not politicians.
The RMAFC Chairman, who was represented by a federal commissioner in the commission, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, said the implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages was effective from January 1, 2023.
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).
However, Alake denied this, stating that the report was fake and such a proposal has not been brought before Tinubu for consideration.
He said, “We state without any equivocation that President Bola Tinubu has not approved any salary increase, and no such proposal has been brought before him for consideration. While we recognise that it is within the constitutional remit of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission to propose and fix salaries and allowances of political office holders and judicial officers, such cannot come to effect until it has equally been considered and approved by the President.
“It is important to note that RMAFC, through its Public Relations Manager, has responded to this fake story being circulated and has already set the record straight.
“However, that this unfounded story gained prominence on social media and in a section of mainstream media again brings to the fore the danger fake news poses to the society and our national well-being.
“The misinformation was, obviously, contrived to create ill will for the new administration, slow down the upward momentum and massive goodwill the Tinubu-led administration is currently enjoying among Nigerians as a result of its fast-paced, dynamic, and progressive policies.”
Alake urged journalists, media managers, and members of the public to ignore stories on government activities and policy issues that do not emanate from approved official communication channels.
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