President Muhammadu Buhari will take half the salary paid to his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, his office announced on Friday.
“President Muhammadu Buhari will only receive 50 percent of the salary paid to his predecessor,” the President’s spokesman Garba Shehu said in an emailed statement. “The president’s decision to take a 50 percent cut was conveyed to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation yesterday (Thursday),” he added.
The annual salary of Nigeria’s president is currently set at 14,058,820 naira ($70,000, 63,500 euros), including allowances, according to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. Shehu said Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo would also draw only half of his salary of 12,126,290 naira per annum.
The announcement comes as Africa’s leading economy faces the fall-out from the slump in the global price of crude oil, which provides 85% of Nigeria’s government revenue, and a public outcry over the remuneration of lawmakers.
His move is likely to add pressure on members of the National Assembly and state governors to follow suit. This week Buhari approved a package of measures to bail out cash-strapped states to enable them to pay public sector workers, some of whom have not received salaries since the end of last year.
