By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

Last week’s Executive Order (EO) by President Bola Tinubu means more money for Federal, States and Local Governments, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Shehu, has said.

In a statement the Chairman personally signed, today, in Abuja, he expressed delight that President Tinubu’s Order would make oil revenue flows more transparent.

The Executive Order which was released this week provides for direct remittance of oil and gas revenues to the Federation Account.

Dr. Shehu said, “By freeing revenues previously subjected to layered deductions and fragmented oversight, the Executive Order enhances transparency, improves cash flow predictability, strengthens fiscal federalism, and restores the constitutional revenue rights of the Federal, State, and Local Governments.

“With this Executive Order, the constitutional architecture of revenue remittance is strengthened. It closes structural leakages, eliminates duplicative deductions, and ensures that revenues due to the Federation are remitted transparently.
“This directly supports the commission’s oversight and monitoring responsibilities.”

The RMAFC boss described the EO as “a bold, constitutionally grounded, and fiscally transformative intervention aimed at restoring transparency, eliminating revenue leakages, and strengthening the revenue base of the three tiers of government.”

He added, “The Executive Order, signed pursuant to Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and anchored on Section 44(3) of the Constitution, reinforces the constitutional principle that ownership, control, and derivative rights in all minerals, mineral oils, and natural gas in Nigeria are vested in the Government of the Federation for the collective benefit of the Nigerian people.”

He noted that before this Executive Order, several structural and legal provisions within the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) created channels through which substantial Federation revenues were subject to multiple deductions, including management fees, frontier exploration allocations, and other layered charges.

According to him, “These deductions significantly reduced net remittances to the Federation Account and constrained fiscal capacity across the federal, state, and local governments.”

The Chairman said that the commission has consistently advocated the review of statutory and regulatory provisions that create opportunities for revenue leakage, erosion, or retention outside the Federation Account, as evidenced by the recent retreat held on 9th of February, 20226 in Enugu State.

He added, “The Executive Order has now decisively addressed these structural concerns.

“The commission considers this reform timely and necessary, particularly in light of the pressing fiscal demands facing the nation, including security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, the energy transition, and economic stabilisation.

The chairman emphasized, “This reform significantly enhances the commission’s ability to discharge its constitutional mandate under Paragraph 32 of Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution, particularly in monitoring the accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account.”

He reiterated its full support for the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening public financial management, enhancing accountability, and repositioning Nigeria’s revenue system in line with global best practices.

The chairman pledged the commission’s commitment to working collaboratively with all relevant institutions to ensure the effective implementation of the EO and to safeguard the integrity of the Federation Account for the benefit of all Nigerians.