By Henry Ojelu

The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, has promised to offer a new and people-oriented revenue sharing formula for the nation in the shortest possible time.

The commission made the pledge in Benin City, when it paid a scheduled visit to the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, as part of its sensitisation programme across the 36 states.

It solicited necessary and positive contributions through interactive sessions and submission of memoranda.

The commission, represented by a Federal Commissioner, Mr. Victor Eboigbe, noted that the sensitisation programme is part of the commission’s mandate, as stipulated in relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution, to review the country’s revenue sharing formula to meet the yearnings of both the three tiers of government and the generality of the people in the light of changing realities.

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He emphasised that the commission took the conscious decision to embark on the tour in order to aggregate and mop up the views of Nigerians by interacting with them at different levels and evolve a new, fair, just and equitable revenue sharing formula.

He said: “This sensitisation exercise has been designed to enlist the interest of stakeholders through interaction at various levels in order to get informed and make useful inputs that can provide workable template to assist the Commission in its task of evolving and bequeathing to the nation a far, just and equitable new revenue sharing formula.”

In his reaction, Governor Obaseki, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, pointed out that the sensitisation tour is an obvious national assignment.

He added that the assignment must be taken with all the seriousness it deserves because the need for a review of existing revenue sharing formula is long overdue.

The governor, who insists that it is important for the commission to reach out, with a view to finding facts from the people, explained that the programme should be done even more regularly.

“It’s an important assignment for the country and for us as a state. It is a national assignment that has to be taken seriously because as a state, we believe this review needs to be done well.

“And in doing it, we believe it’s important to go and find out the facts,” the governor pointed out.

Vanguard News Nigeria