Why Nigerian Politicians Should Not Receive Salaries – Deji Adeyanju

Prominent activist lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has argued that politicians in Nigeria should not receive salaries, citing the country’s economic challenges and the need to focus on politics as a service-oriented endeavor.

Naija News reports that Adeyanju expressed these views on a recent episode of ‘The Honest Bunch’ podcast, co-hosted by well-known actor Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, also known as Nedu, along with Husband Material and Toun Cole.

He suggested that even the president should use a personal vehicle instead of official cars, as politicians are already wealthy.

Adeyanju criticized the large number of aides employed by top officials, with over 2,000 collectively in the National Assembly.

He cited Kenya’s example, where the president cut cabinet positions following public protests against government waste, and advocates for similar actions in Nigeria to reduce unnecessary spending.

Adeyanju stated, “No politician should be paid salary in Nigeria because Nigeria is a poor country, we need to make politics about service even the president should drive his personal car.

“We don’t need to be buying official car for government people, because at that level anybody that is President is already rich.”

He continued, “Politicians treat politics as a full-time job. Beyond their salaries, they also have 10 to 20 aides each. The top officials in the National Assembly, including the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Chief Whip, employ over 2,000 aides collectively.”

Adeyanju highlighted an example from Kenya, noting, “Their president sacked almost half of his cabinet because her citizens said that the leaders are wasting money.

“In, Nigeria, we also need a similar step from government, they are wasting too much money.”