By CHIOMA OBINNA
The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has cautioned the Revenue Mobilization, Fiscal and Allocation Commission (RMFAC) over plans to hold a retreat for the federal commissioners slated later this month in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State capital.

The group in a statement in Abuja, by the national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the national director of media affairs, Zainab Yusuf Huriwa, hinged its caution on the need to maintain peace  in the oil rich region, stating that going ahead to hold the same retreat as planned in Uyo, would send out wrong signals to Nigerians who are aware that  Akwa Ibom State is currently  enmeshed in a barrage of litigation with its neighbours over the ownership of oil wells instituted before the commission for redress.

Reasoning that since Akwa Ibom State government may pick some of the bills of the proposed retreat, it said the neutrality of the revenue commission to dispassionately handle those matters may be compromised.

“Our  findings showed that the host government may pick the bills of the quarterly retreat for the RMFAC commissioners just as it called on the President Good luck Jonathan and the hierarchy of the National Assembly to stop the revenue commission from flouting the time-tested and time honoured precept of the principle of equity and social justice.” the group stated.

Continuing, the group argued that  the alleged intention to bankroll the core function like the high profile adhoc retreat for the federal revenue commissioners amounts to a clear case of official compromise and dereliction of duty.

The group called on the Federal Government and the hierarchy of the National Assembly to stop such misnomer from happening.