Former president Olusegun Obasanjo argued that it is unethical and against the law for politicians to set their own compensation.

In a speech he delivered on Monday at the 60th anniversary celebration of the legendary lawyer Aare Afe Babalola’s admission to the bar in Ado, Ekiti, Obasanjo made this statement.

The former president expressed concern, saying that “the ones who undermine it” are those who ought to uphold the constitution.

Obasanjo asserted that the lawmakers disbanded the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which he said was in charge of deciding the salaries of elected officials.

The commission is tasked with determining the appropriate compensation for those who hold political office, including parliamentarians, in accordance with paragraphs 32(a-e) of Part I of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as modified).

The former president continued, “The point in Nigeria that I have seen and can attest to is that most of the people who are supposed to be operationalizing or managing and seeing the constitution and democracy advance 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.”

For instance, Obasanjo claimed that the Federal Character was “completely ignored” and that the Federal Character Commission hardly carried out its mandate. 

The former president claimed that when the constitution is “constantly violated like that,” the country’s democracy devolves into a lawless system.

The former president claimed that when the constitution is “constantly violated like that,” the country’s democracy devolves into a lawless system.