RMFAC warns states, LGAs against ‘illegal’ use of remuneration reports

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has warned states and local government councils against adopting its remuneration reports for political, public and judicial officeholders without the required legislative action or enactment of state laws.

Chairman of RMAFC, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, gave the warning on Thursday at the opening of a one-day workshop on the role of the state executives/legislature in implementing the recommendations of the RMAFC concerning remuneration packages for political, public and judicial office holders.

He said the commission had observed lapses in the implementation of the remuneration reports at the state and local government levels as contained in the report of a pilot monitoring exercise it carried out in 2019.

“Whereas the Remuneration Act was enacted at the federal level for political, public and judicial office holders at that level and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), most states across the country adopted the Commission’s recommendation as contained in its reports without the required legislative actions or enactment of state laws,” he noted.

He said such actions contravened the constitutional provision concerning remuneration of the executive at the state and local government levels. Shehu said the workshop was organised to enlighten key stakeholders in the state executive/legislature and other operators in the implementation of the remuneration package as provided in the Commission’s remuneration reports, provide clarifications on some grey areas and other challenges states and local governments might have experienced in the course of implementing the remuneration packages and advise the executive and legislative arms at the state level to adhere strictly to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution in implementing the remuneration package for political and public office holders.

He said Section 124(l) of the 1999 Constitution provides that “there shall be paid to the holders of the offices mentioned in this section such remuneration and salaries as may be prescribed by a House of Assembly but not exceeding the amount as shall have been determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.”

He listed the offices to include governor, deputy governor, auditors-general of states and the chairman and members of the state civil service commissions among others.

“In this respect, this section categorically empowers the State Assembly to deliberate and pass the reviewed remuneration package from RMAFC’s recommendations into law in their respective states.

“This workshop is to draw the attention of the stakeholders of the state executive/legislature and the local government councils on the need to strictly adhere to the provision of the law in the implementation of the remuneration package. The disregard of the Commission’s determined remuneration package for elected councillors at the local government level has remained a point of concern to the commission.

“Local government legislative councils constitute the legislative arm of the third tier. Unlike appointed councillors that form the executive council, whose remuneration is to be prescribed by the State House of Assembly based on the recommendations of the Commission, the remuneration of the legislative arm remains within the realms of the commission’s constitutional powers,” he said.

At the workshop included state assembly speakers, secretaries to state governments, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) officials, the RMAFC commissioners among others.