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SERAP Drags RMAFC To Court Over Proposed Salary Hike For Political Office Holders

Published

24 minutes ago

September 7, 2025

The Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), seeking to halt and reverse a proposed salary increase for Nigeria’s political elite.

The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is challenging the legality and morality of the commission’s proposal, arguing that it is unconstitutional and insensitive to the country’s dire economic realities.

The legal action comes in the wake of RMAFC’s recent announcement that it intends to review upward the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors, their deputies, and lawmakers.

The commission had justified the proposed hike by claiming the current emoluments are paltry, a statement that has drawn widespread criticism from the public.

SERAP’s lawsuit, designated FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025, aims to get a court determination on whether such a move is unlawful, unconstitutional, and inconsistent with the rule of law.

The human rights advocacy group is not only seeking a declaration that the proposed salary increase is illegal, but also asking the court to issue a restraining order to prevent RMAFC from taking further steps to implement the pay rise.

Furthermore, SERAP is seeking an order directing the commission to review downward the salaries and allowances of these political office holders to better reflect the nation’s economic state.

In its suit, filed by Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms. Oluwakemi Oni, and Andrew Nwankwo, the human rights organisation contends that restraining the commission from arbitrarily increasing these salaries serves a legitimate public interest.

It argued that while the RMAFC has a constitutional mandate to set salaries, this power is not unrestrained or unbridled.

According to SERAP, the proposed salary increase constitutes a gross misuse of the commission’s constitutional and statutory mandates and is a violation of the legal doctrine of reasonableness.

The lawsuit references a 2021 judgment by Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which had previously ordered RMAFC to review downward and fix the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly.

That judgment followed a consolidated suit brought by a coalition of civil society organisations, including SERAP, BudgIT, and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE), along with concerned citizens.

SERAP’s suit also draws on fundamental constitutional principles, particularly those outlined in Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution, which deals with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.

The organisation argued that the proposed pay rise is a gross violation of these principles and the country’s international human rights obligations.

The lawsuit asserted that the combined provisions of Chapters 2 and 4, which focus on fundamental rights, give substance to the socio-economic rights of Nigerians and their right to equality and non-discrimination.

A central pillar of SERAP’s argument is the stark contrast between the proposed pay increase and the grim economic realities faced by the majority of Nigerians.

The legal action pointed out that over 133 million Nigerians are currently living in poverty, adding that several state governments are struggling to pay workers’ salaries and pensions, making an upward review of political salaries particularly insensitive and unjustifiable.

The lawsuit stated further, “RMAFC cannot legitimately or justifiably increase the salaries of the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers at a time when over 133 million Nigerians are poor.”

SERAP posited that the RMAFC appears to consistently prioritise the interests of political office holders over those of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

The organisation maintained that the commission, in exercising its mandates, ought to balance the interests of the marginalised against the interests of the political class.

The lawsuit also advocated for prioritising cuts to the excessive allowances and life pensions for former political office holders, arguing that the principle of representative democracy, fairness, and equality is undermined when the living standards of millions of citizens plummet while political leaders enjoy arbitrary salary increases.

Furthermore, the suit painted a picture of the deteriorating public services in Nigeria, noting that access to essential services like pipe-borne water, affordable healthcare, and reliable electricity remains a dream for many, even as these services are becoming more ubiquitous and cheap globally.

This backdrop, according to SERAP, makes the proposed pay hike a morally reprehensible act and a betrayal of public trust.

It would be recalled that the RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Bello, had stated on August 18, 2025, that the commission’s proposal for a pay rise was based on the seriously flawed ground that the salaries were paltry.

He claimed the review package was fair, realistic, and sustainable and aligned with the country’s current socio-economic realities.

He also noted that the last major overhaul of the allocation formula was in 1992, with only executive adjustments since 2002.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

News

Lunar Eclipse To Hit Nigeria, Other African Countries

Published

2 minutes ago

September 7, 2025

Editor

Nigerians, alongside residents of some African nations, are set to witness a rare celestial spectacle on Sunday, September 7, when a total lunar eclipse lights up the skies from 8:00 p.m. West Africa Time.

The phenomenon, which will last about 83 minutes, is expected to turn the Moon a vivid reddish colour, drawing the attention of sky watchers across the region.

According to the National Television Authority (NTA), scientists confirmed that the eclipse will be visible across much of Africa.

“Countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, Togo, Niger, Chad, and São Tomé and Príncipe will experience the eclipse, though the westernmost areas may miss parts of the early penumbral or partial phases due to the Moon rising closer to or during totality,” the network reported on Sunday.

Although some westernmost areas may not see the early phases, much of Nigeria will enjoy a clear view of the event, which scientists describe as safe and awe-inspiring.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration stated on its website that a lunar eclipse may be total, partial, or penumbral, and predicted that Sunday’s total eclipse will be visible in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

The Moon’s red glow, often referred to as a “blood moon,” comes from sunlight bending through Earth’s atmosphere, a phenomenon NASA recently linked to temperature variations on the lunar surface during such events.

Unlike solar eclipses, which require protective eyewear, this lunar eclipse can be viewed safely with the naked eye.

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align, with Earth’s shadow falling across the Moon.

News

DSS Gives X Ultimatum To Pull Down Sowore’s Tweet

Published

13 minutes ago

September 7, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) has demanded that X (formerly Twitter) remove a tweet against President Bola Tinubu by activist Omoyele Sowore, giving the social media platform a 24-hour ultimatum to comply.

The DSS claims the tweet “disparages” President Bola Tinubu and poses a threat to Nigeria’s national security.

In a letter signed on behalf of the Director-General, the DSS cited a tweet from Sowore’s verified handle, @YeleSowore, dated August 25, 2025. The tweet, which has now been widely reported, reads: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”

The DSS’s notice to X stated that the tweet is a “disparaging” and “dangerous” publication that could incite unrest and create “political tension.”

“The tweet under reference is against the transparency on X and Government has frowned at it and found it extremely dangerous, false, privacy violation behaviour that manipulate and negatively impacts on the person of the President and the Country.”

“The said tweet is still in circulation and has attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians, some of whom may resort to unwholesome activities to vent their grievance over it, especially supporters of the President who have started taking to the streets in protest, thereby creating political tension and threatening the country’s national security. This is in addition to the disparaging effect the tweet has on the reputation of Mr. President and the country before the comity of nations.”

The service claimed that the tweet, directed at the President’s official X account, has already led to protests from his supporters.

The letter also asserted that the tweet violates several Nigerian laws, including the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, the Criminal Code Act, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The DSS alleged that the words used by Sowore constitute “misleading information, online harassment and abuse,” and an attempt to “cause disunity” and “discredit the President.”

The security agency warned of “far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures” if X fails to take down the tweet and its attendant retweets within the stipulated 24-hour period.

“It is against the above highlighted backdrop that we make an immediate and urgent demand on your Corporation to as a matter of its own policy, immediately TAKE DOWN the tweet and its attendant re-tweets. This demand is unequivocal with its attendant consequence. Should you fail, neglect and refuse to comply with the command in this notice, the Federal Government will be compelled to take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures through our Organisation, whose mandate covers such criminal acts. In the light of the above having been made official to you, 24 hours is sufficient enough to take necessary action.”

News

JUST IN: DSS Writes X, Wants Sowore’s Account Deactivated Over Tweet Targeting Tinubu

Published

2 hours ago

September 7, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has petitioned the Chairman and CEO X Corp., Elon Musk’s controlling company managing the popular social media app, X (formerly Twitter), over a tweet by activist Omoyele Sowore.

The Nigeria’s intelligence security agency, in a petition addressed to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp. Bastrop County in Texas, United States of America (USA) and dated September 6,2025, accused Sowore of targeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a disparaging and ridiculous tweet capable of creating political tension and threatening the country’s national security.

The DSS, in its petition, also accused Sowore of spreading misleading information and willful intention to furthering an ideology capable of serious harm, incitement to violence, cyber crime, hate speech to discredit Tinubu, therefore calling on the social media company to ban or deactivate the verified X handle of the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).

The agency, while referencing the tweet, said those words are personally targeted at Tinubu with the president’s X handle mentioned by Omoyele Sowore, stating that the tweet is against the transparency on X and Government has frowned at it and found it extremely dangerous, false, and privacy violation behavior.

The petition, signed by B. Bamigboye, on behalf of DSS; Director General State Services, reads:

“We detected and monitored with dismay and consternation a widely condemned publication/trending Tweet by Omoyele Sowore on his X official handle page @YeleSowore on 25th August, 2025 about 11:38 PM local time (2338 hours) WAT disparaging and ridiculing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Tweet read: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”

“Those words were personally directed at Mr. President through his official communication channel @officialABAT which is the known X handle of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The said tweet is herewith attached and will be referenced on herein for emphasis and necessary action.

“The tweet under reference is against the transparency on X and Government has frowned at it and found it extremely dangerous, false, privacy violation behavior that manipulate and negatively impacts on the person of the President and the Country.

“It is pertinent to bring to your knowledge that under the Nigerian Law, these quoted tweets/words constitute offence punishable in Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act Cap.77 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, which prohibits publication of false information; Sections 19,22 and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025 which prohibits and makes it an offence to spread fake news or publishing content that is deliberately misleading or deceptive, posting content that is rude, vulgar, offensive, or indecent, especially with the intent to embarrass or humiliate others, provoke ethnic, religious, or tribal hatred through online or offline statements; amounting to domestic terrorism. The Law also makes the offender and the medium through which the offence is perpetrated/propagated culpable and criminally liable too. The author and purveyor of the inflammatory online publication against Mr. President is very much aware that the publication is also prohibited by Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and other relevant Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“It is not in doubt that the words employed by Mr. Omoyele Sowore is misleading information, online harassment and abuse, willful intention of furthering an ideology capable of serious harm, hate speech, cause disunity, discredit/disparage the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within the Comity of Nations to damage the image of Nigeria and cause serious threat to national security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“It is against the above highlighted backdrop that we make an immediate and urgent demand on your Corporation to as a matter of its own policy, immediately TAKE DOWN the tweet and its attendant re-tweets.
This demand is unequivocal with its attendant consequence. Should you fail, neglect and refuse to comply with the command in this notice, the Federal Government will be compelled to take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures through our Organization, whose mandate covers such criminal acts.
In the light of the above having been made official to you, 24 hours is sufficient enough to take necessary action.”