Obasanjo Blasts National Assembly Over Illegal Salary Self-Setting

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo came out swinging on Saturday, calling out the National Assembly for what he says is an illegal practice that has gone on long enough: lawmakers fixing their own salaries.

Speaking during an interview on News Central on April 25, 2026, Obasanjo was blunt. “The elected members of the National Assembly have no right to fix their own salary, no, they don’t have that right, and it’s not in our constitution for them to do that,” he said.

Who should actually be setting the salaries

Obasanjo’s argument is straightforward: the Constitution assigns that responsibility to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission — not to legislators themselves. “The National Assembly members are fixing their own salaries and emoluments, which is not supposed to be their duty but that of the National Salaries and Wages Commission,” he said.

This is not a new frustration, but Obasanjo’s framing connects it to something larger. He warned that letting lawmakers set their own pay creates conditions for abuse of power, weakening public trust in government at a time when millions of Nigerians are already struggling economically. The concern, as he sees it, is not just about money — it is about whether public officials follow the rules that apply to everyone else.

A pattern worth watching

Nigeria’s National Assembly has faced repeated criticism over its remuneration. The exact figures lawmakers receive have been a subject of controversy for years, with the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Salaries Commission both having constitutional roles that have often been sidestepped or ignored in practice.

Obasanjo insisted the issue goes beyond the salary dispute itself. Respecting constitutional boundaries, he argued, is what separates functional governance from a system where officials quietly write their own rules. Whether the National Assembly responds to the pressure or ignores it — as it has before — remains to be seen.

Sources: Naija News, The Sun, NewsUnplug