Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on Thursday, played host to stakeholders from the North Central Region during a zonal public hearing on the review of the vertical revenue allocation formula by the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
Deputy Governor, Chief (Dr.) Edward Onoja declared the Hearing open on behalf of Governor Bello at the State Government House, stating that a comprehensive review is overdue. He noted that the existential realities facing the 3 Tiers of Government necessitate a more equitable sharing plan for all revenue accruing into the Federation Account.
Welcoming his guests, he made a case for his brother governors in Nigeria on the need for the Federal Government to relinquish portions of her allocation to other tiers since it boasts of a larger 52.68 percent, while the 36 states and the FCT split 26.72 percent, with the Local Government Councils settling for 20.60 percent.
Governor Bello said his counterparts mostly inherit unwieldy workforce and wage bills, coupled with ladened governance responsibilities in the education, health, security, social cohesion, diversity management, infrastructure, and utility sectors.
"For instance, what am I doing with 43,788 workers and a salary obligation of N3.8bn monthly for Local Governments in Kogi State alone despite conducting one of the most thorough staff screening and verification exercises in the recent history of this nation," he questioned.
He upheld the call for a review, admonishing the Commission to situate existing facts, activate principles of fairness in lockstep with the socioeconomic realities, and changing revenue accruals, with a national sharing plan to keep pace with them.
According to him, "The RMAFC has a concomitant duty to prevent this from happening. She can easily do so in collaboration with sister federal agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which has the responsibility to prevent or punish, such serious economic crimes.
"As a critical aside, and because we are talking about revenue and the judicious application thereof, the general public here gathered today is called upon to help me inform the EFCC that Governor Yahaya Bello advises that preventing such larceny of our communal funds is actually a better use of her valuable resources and time than the recent dealings in innuendos about alleged lost or found funds in alleged secret accounts of the Kogi State Government which neither I, as Chief Executive, nor my administration know anything about.
"We still challenge them therefore to clarify publicly to Nigerians if in all of their current hide-and-seek with one of the banks in the country they have discovered that even One Kobo which legitimately belongs to the people of Kogi State was misapplied or misappropriated or that any official of this New Direction Administration that I lead in Kogi State was involved in any capacity whatsoever," he said.
Earlier, Chairman of the RMAFC, Engr. Elias Mbam disclosed that adequate modalities such as surveys, analysis, publicity, and sensitization campaigns are ongoing aimed at acquainting stakeholders and the general public on the Commission's drives to jacking up the existing Allocation Formula. He mentioned existing inter-agency collaborations, saying the current review focuses on vertical allocation, covering allocation to the Federal, States and Local Governments, and does not imply a reduction in the costs of governance.
Promise Emmanuel
Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Kogi State
21st October, 2021.
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