By Femi Bolaji

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMFAC, have expressed displeasure with some states of the federation over the discrepancies in data received.

The Commission’s Chairman, Indices and Disbursement Committee, Chris Akomas, spoke at a 2 days sensitization and advocacy programme on Data gathering and management, in Jalingo, Taraba state capital.

He said the discrepancies in the data received from some states of the federation have resulted in trust deficit, which according to him has slowed the review of indices for the sharing of horizontal revenue to both state and local government councils.

Akomas, who is a former Deputy governor of Abia state, further explained that most of the data gathered were not credible and could not stand integrity test.

He however said the two days sensitization and advocacy tour to states of the federation is to avoid a recurrence of the phenomenon.

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In his words: “the last time we called for data in 2018, the data received could not stand integrity test because they were not credible.

“But this time around, we are doing sensitization and training before the call for data from states for review of indices for sharing of horizontal revenue which has to do with the state and local government areas.

“We have decided to engage the sub-nationals, the state and local government to discuss those challenges and address them.”

He further called for collective ownership of the entire process, to ensure the right thing is done.

Also, Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku who declared the programme open, urged the Commission to ensure the review of the sharing indices reflects the current realities in various states.

According to him, “there is every need for this Commission to do the needful as it embarks on this sensitization tour of states and local government councils in order to fulfill it’s mandate as empowered by paragraph 32(b) of part 1 to the Third schedule of the 1999 constitution (as amended), which is to ‘review from to time the revenue allocation formulae and principles in operation to ensure conformity with changing realities’.”

He also directed all state actors and local government council officials participating in the two days programme to channel their attention to the requirements of the Commission on future data demands.

The state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Solomon Elisha, also noted that the interactive session would afford stakeholders the opportunity to canvass for a better deal in the revenue allocation formulae.

Vanguard