Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has sparked widespread outrage with a tone-deaf salary disclosure that many have condemned as deeply insensitive to the millions of Deltans struggling to survive amid Nigeria's worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. Speaking at the inauguration of 12 four-bedroom terraced duplexes for Permanent Secretaries and the presentation of official vehicles to newly appointed officials in Asaba on Thursday, August 20, 2026, the governor casually revealed that his monthly salary stands at N503,000 while Permanent Secretaries take home N900,000. In a moment captured on video and shared widely on social media, Oborevwori declared, "Today, Permanent Secretaries… Your salary is 900, my salary is 503,000, Governor's salary." The governor's lighthearted delivery of this information has been met with widespread condemnation, with critics accusing him of being utterly disconnected from the grim reality facing ordinary citizens in the state.
At a time when millions of Nigerians can barely afford a single meal a day, when the prices of food, fuel and essential commodities have skyrocketed beyond the reach of average households, and when unemployment and underemployment have reached alarming levels, a governor publicly boasting that his Permanent Secretaries earn nearly double his salary is not just insensitive, it is an insult to the intelligence and suffering of the people he is meant to serve. The average Delta State resident, struggling to put food on the table, does not care whether the governor earns N503,000 or whether his Permanent Secretaries earn N900,000. What they care about is why the government cannot provide basic infrastructure, why schools remain dilapidated, why hospitals lack essential drugs, and why the cost of living has become unbearable. By focusing on the salaries of top civil servants while millions of Deltans groan under the weight of poverty, Oborevwori has demonstrated a shocking lack of empathy and a troubling disconnect from the people who elected him.
Many Nigerians say that the governor's revelation that the Head of Service earns about N1 million monthly while he himself earns N503,000 is not a testament to his humility or sacrifice; it is a damning indictment of a system that prioritises the comfort of the elite while the masses suffer. It is not the governor's salary that is too low; it is the salaries of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Service that are obscenely high in a state where the minimum wage, even after recent increases, remains a pittance compared to the cost of living. Rather than boasting about the disparity, Oborevwori should be explaining why civil servants at the lower rungs of the ladder, the cleaners, clerks and junior officers who form the backbone of the civil service, are not earning salaries that can sustain a dignified life.
Oborevwori's attempt to present himself as a humble leader by highlighting his relatively modest salary is a tired political trope that has been used by numerous Nigerian governors and presidents to appear relatable. However, such gestures ring hollow when the governor resides in a palatial Government House, travels in a convoy of expensive vehicles, and enjoys benefits and perks that dwarf the modest salary he claims to earn. The governor is not suffering on N503,000 a month; he enjoys security, accommodation, transportation, medical care, and other perks that are far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens, all funded by the state treasury. His salary disclosure is therefore not a mark of transparency but a calculated attempt to deflect attention from the lavish expenditure of his administration and the growing inequality in the state.
The timing of the salary revelation is particularly egregious. Coming just days after the Osun governorship election and amid growing economic hardship across the country, it signals a government that is more concerned with its own internal affairs than with the welfare of the people. While Oborevwori was inaugurating duplexes for Permanent Secretaries and handing over official vehicles, residents of Delta communities continue to grapple with poor roads, dilapidated schools, and a lack of access to clean water and healthcare. The governor's focus on the comfort of top civil servants, rather than on urgent public needs, suggests a misplaced set of priorities that prioritises the elite over the masses.
The governor's joke that some Permanent Secretaries might be reluctant to disclose their salaries to their husbands further trivialises the serious issue of public sector remuneration and suggests a patronising attitude towards women in the civil service. Rather than making light of the situation, the governor should be addressing the systemic inequality that allows a handful of officials to earn exorbitant salaries while the majority of citizens struggle to survive. The welfare measures that Oborevwori touted during the event, including vehicle and housing loan schemes for civil servants and farm inputs for those willing to venture into farming, are commendable but insufficient. They do not address the fundamental question of why the state's resources are not being used more equitably to uplift the masses rather than enrich a select few.
The governor's announcement of a 13th-month salary for civil servants, beginning from December 2026, and his plan to send an executive bill to the Delta State House of Assembly to give the gesture legal backing, is a positive step. However, this gesture is tainted by the insensitivity of his salary disclosure and the broader context of inequality that his administration appears to perpetuate. The 13th-month salary, while welcome, does not absolve the government of its responsibility to address the root causes of poverty and inequality in the state. The governor's focus on civil servant welfare, while important, should not come at the expense of broader public welfare. The people of Delta State deserve a government that prioritises their needs over the comfort of a privileged few, and a governor who understands that leadership is not about boasting about salaries but about delivering tangible improvements to the lives of the people.
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