As the ongoing public hearings on the review of revenue sharing formula continue to gain traction, North West geopolitical zone leaders have canvassed a new revenue sharing regime that would give states and local governments 60 percent of the accrued revenue into the Federation Accounts.
Political, economic and civil advocacy stakeholders from the North-West states made the proposal in their various presentations at the zonal public hearing on the review of the formula which held in Kaduna on Monday.
This is even as they also advocated that the responsibility of funding security should be constitutionally shifted to the state governments as against the current situation in which issues of security funding remained the sole responsibility of the Federal Government.
In his remarks at the occasion, Secretary to the Kano State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, who made a presentation on the state government’s position on the matter, said: “The Federal Government should take 41 per cent; states, 34 per cent; LGAs, 24 per cent, and we need an independent one per cent for Kano State because it is a mini Nigeria.”
Also, Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, said that with 52.8 percent of the federation Account revenue going to the Federal Government now, although the central government is doing so much but doing little well because of its over-stretched responsibilities.
He expatiated: “The Federal Government retains the largest chunk of federation resources. It does too much but is too stretched and so does little well. Yet, the things that really matter to citizens are state and local government functions.
“Therefore, the argument for a significant review, in favour of states, of the vertical revenue allocation formula is compelling. The Federal Government has to consolidate its focus around security, foreign affairs and monetary and fiscal policy”, El-Rufai added.
Speaking at the forum, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Engr. Elias Mbam, explained why the revenue allocation formula had not been reviewed in the last 29 years in violation of the constitutional provisions that set five year review of the formula.
