After 12 months delay, govs charge Buhari to transmit draft revenue formula to N’Assembly

Governors of the 36 states of the federation have expressed disappointment with delay by President Muhammadu Buhari in transmitting proposed revenue sharing formula to the National Assembly, one year after the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) submitted it.

The state chief executives rose from a meeting, which ended in the early hours of yesterday in Abuja, with a resolve to meet Buhari and persuade him to urgently transmit the proposal to the National Assembly for enactment into law.

The proposal, submitted in April 2022, shows that the Federal Government will take 45.17 per cent; states, 29.79 per cent and local councils, 21.04 per cent. While the Federal Government will shed 3.33 per cent, states and local councils will have their shares increased by 3.07 per cent and 4.4 per cent, respectively.

In the current sharing arrangement, the Federal Government takes 52.68 per cent revenue; states get 26.72 per cent, while local councils receive 20.6 per cent.

In an interview with journalists after the meeting, held at the headquarters of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Chairman of NGF and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, disclosed that the matter received prominent mention

He said: “We discussed the new revenue formula submitted to Mr. President by the RMFAC and the need for us to approach him to present the new draft formula to the National Assembly before this administration winds up.

“We are going to meet with the President, as a forum, and we will appeal to him to present that formula to the National Assembly.” Governors that attended the meeting include those of Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Imo, Edo, Borno, Adamawa, Jigawa, Oyo, Nasarawa, Taraba and Katsina.

Buhari had blamed delay in transmitting the proposal to the National Assembly on the Constitution review exercise. He had said he would await outcome of the review before presenting the report.

Tambuwal also disclosed that the governors discussed guidelines by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on financial regulation and “the issue of primary healthcare, and progress made, so far.”

He said the issue of stamp duties being owed the Federal Government and states, warehoused by the Central Bank, was also discussed, adding: “We are working to make sure it is released for disbursement to the Federal Government and the states.”