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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has insisted on their demands for a review of the Revenue Sharing Formula to make more funds available to states and local governments.
Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, stated this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents on Monday.
Under the current revenue sharing formula, the federal government takes the lion’s share of 52.68 per cent from the Federation Account. The 36 states take 26.72 per cent, while the balance of 20.60 per cent is given to the 774 local governments in the country.
The review, he said, had been long over due, as the two lower tiers of government were battling additional responsibilities.
He explained that some states had started paying, but added that others were waiting for the conclusion of the negotiations on consequential adjustments before they could start the payment.
While noting that states were bound by law to pay the current National Minimum Wage of N30,000, they could also do with increased funding through a review of the formula.
Fayemi recalled that the review demand started under for President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
“A review of the revenue sharing formula is still the position of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum. We feel that it is time for the revenue sharing formula to change and we have made a representation to the President and Commander-in-Chief.
“This is not just under the Buhari administration; this has been an ongoing agitation that started way back since the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. It continued during former President Umar Yar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan. So, it isnot just something that has been brought out under President Buhari.”
He said governors were aware that the review involved a process that would be initiated by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
