Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for a significant increase in policemen’s salaries to ₦500,000 monthly, contrasting it with the alleged ₦30 million monthly earnings of Nigerian senators, in a press conference held on July 9, 2025, in Abuja.
Sowore, leader of the #RevolutionNow movement, argued that the stark wage disparity reflects systemic inequality, with policemen earning approximately ₦70,000 monthly under the current structure, while senators benefit from undisclosed allowances atop their official ₦1.06 million monthly salary. His remarks have ignited a national debate on public sector pay.
Sowore cited the perilous working conditions faced by police, including frequent attacks by bandits, as justification for the raise, proposing it be funded by cutting legislative perks. The Senate has not confirmed the ₦30 million figure, which Sowore based on leaked reports and public estimates of allowances like housing and transport, though official records list senators’ total take-home pay, including allowances, at around ₦13.5 million annually.
Police unions have endorsed the demand, with the Police Service Commission acknowledging a review is underway, though no timeline was given. The government has yet to respond, but social media buzz suggests growing public support, with calls for a parliamentary probe into lawmakers’ earnings.