RMAFC inaugurates panels on new revenue formula

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission on Thursday inaugurated 18 standing committees including one that would give the nation a new revenue sharing formula.

The standing committees, which comprise 12 constitutional committees and six in-house committees, have a total of 139 members.

Membership of the committees, according to the list that was made available to news men, was drawn from the agencies commissioners representing various states of the country.

The constitutional committees are indices and disbursement Committee, federal allocation account committee, crude oil monitoring committee, and inland revenue monitoring committee.

The committees are headed by Chris Akomas, Abia; Kabir Mashi, Katsina; Ahmed Gumel, Jigawa; and Samuel Maagbe, Benue, respectively.

The Customs revenue monitoring committee is chaired by Olusegun Wright, from Lagos State, while the solid minerals monitoring committee is headed by Aliyu Abdulkadir, from Nasarawa State.

Other committees and their chairmen include gas monitoring committee, Mrs Maria Aniobi, Enugu; remuneration and monetisation committee, Mohammed Usman, Gombe and fiscal efficiency and budget committee, m Isa Mohammed, Bauchi.

Others are obilisation and diversification committee, Ayang Okon, Akwa Ibom; revenue allocation formula committee, Philip Amujo, Ekiti; and investment committee, Andrew Agbara, Delta.

The in-house committees are lepal matters committee, headed by Umar Abdullahi, Kano; national assembly liaison committee chaired by Musa Abari, FCT; and Personnel matters committee chaired by Ntufam Whiley, Cross River.

Two other in-house committees – public affairs and ccmmunication Committee and business and rules committee – are chaired by Rilwan Abarshi, Kebbi, and Madu Jubluri, Yobe, respectively.

The sixth in-house committee, finance and general purpose committee, is chaired by chairman, RMAFC, Elias Mbam. Membership of the committee includes all committee chairmen.

Mbam explained that it had become absolutely necessary to constitute the standing committees to address issues pertaining to the commission’s mandate.

He said the committees were to carry out in-depth study and work on their specific assignments.

The recommendations of the committees would be forwarded to the plenary session for consideration and possible approval.

He further explained that the technical, professional, secretariat and administrative requirements of the committees were to be provided by the Secretary to RMAFC, the various departments, divisions and units as well as zonal and state offices.

Mbam pointed out that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the management of the RMAFC to concentrate more on expanding the sources of revenue to the Federation Account and other non-oil sources.

He therefore called on the chairmen and members of the committees to devise new strategies that would further improve the work processes of the commission and strengthen the existing collaboration between the commission and stakeholders.

Mbam’s address was silent on the modalities for the planned review of the revenue sharing formula, including the schedule for the expected public hearing and attendant presentations by the three arms of government.

By the country’s current revenue sharing formula, the Federal Government receives 52.68 per cent, national revenue while the states and the local governments are allocated 26.72 percent and 20.60 percent respectively.

Ahead of the planned review of the sharing formula, the state governors have already indicated their intention to demand 42 percent of the national revenue.

They equally want the share of the Federal Government to be slashed to 37 per cent while that of the local governments should be increased to 23 percent.