Gombe CSOs seek passage of RMAFC amendment bill

The Gombe Network of Civil Society (GONET) has sought the accelerated passage of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Amendment Bill, which is awaiting passage by the National Assembly after having gone through its second reading.

GONET, in a communique issued at the end of a one-day dialogue session with the theme “Towards Nigeria’s Effective Fiscal Management: Issues, Prospects, and Constraints,” which was held in Gombe over the weekend, observed that RMAFC is a critical body in Nigeria’s governance structure, responsible for monitoring revenue accruals, revenue allocation to the three tiers of government, and fixing remuneration for public officeholders.

It noted that the Commission has been hampered by financial constraints, outdated legal frameworks, and insufficient regulatory powers, significantly reducing its effectiveness.

According to the communique, one of the major challenges faced by the Commission is the absence of financial autonomy and a weak regulatory framework, which directly hinders the effective and efficient performance of its operations, with annual budgetary allocations for financing its activities over the years being grossly inadequate to protect its independence and cater for its nationwide field operations.

“The sensitive nature of the Commission’s role in Nigeria’s fiscal management requires a large measure of independence, including financial autonomy,” it stated.

The statement, signed by GONET’s Chairman, Ambassador Ibrahim Yusuf, and Secretary, Dr. Benjamin Maina, stated that the aim of the Bill was to strengthen the Commission by granting it financial autonomy and modernising its operational frameworks, given that the existing RMAFC Act, CAP R7 LFN 2004, has become obsolete and is no longer in consonance with the economic and fiscal realities.

According to them, the proposed Bill seeks to amend the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act, CAP. R7 LFN 2010, to grant the Commission enforcement powers in monitoring accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account and to bring the Act into conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and for other matters related therewith.

The CSOs urged the National Assembly and the Presidency to prioritise the passage of the RMAFC Amendment Bill, highlighting its importance and potential to reform Nigeria’s fiscal management system towards positively impacting the country’s governance and fiscal oversight.

The network also urged governors, as critical stakeholders in the governance space, to use their offices to bring their influence to bear on federal legislators from their States towards supporting the quick passage of the Bill.

“It is the expectation of all and sundry that the Bill, when eventually passed into law by NASS and signed by Mr. President, will reposition the Commission by giving it the needed impetus to perform optimally with the removal of financial, legal, and regulatory encumbrances that hitherto made it a toothless bulldog that can only bark but not bite.

“It is strongly believed by concerned stakeholders that the signing of the Bill into law by Mr. President will translate to the stoppage of leakages in revenue generation, increase more revenues into the Federation Account, and generally promote transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s Commonwealth in consonance with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope mantra,” the Network said.