Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has described the current federal government revenue formula as stale and lopsided while calling for a review to make it generally acceptable.
According to Governor Masari, the current arrangement puts more resources at the centre while leaving the state and local government with a lot of burdens.
The Katsina Governor made the remark while playing host to the Chairman, Federal Revenue and Fiscal Commission and his team who were in the state on a sensitization visit on Tuesday.
According to Masari, Nigeria needs devolution of power to enable the state and local government to harness resources to develop the state.
“The formula is lopsided, it puts more resources in the centre, with fewer resources in state and local governments, while the burden of responsibility and daily need are at the local government and the state levels.
“The current formula has given the federal government over 50 per cent, while the state and local governments are sharing less than 40 per cent. These are where the people and the problems are.”
According to the Governor, he cannot understand why the federal government with several revenue-earning agencies and departments some of whom hardly remit their earnings to the federal purse, will enjoy a huge allocation of 50%while the remaining percentages are shared amongst states and Local Governments
Speaking at the occasion, the chairman, federal revenue and fiscal mobilization, Alhaji Kabir Muhammad Mashi, said efforts to review the revenue allocation has been on since 1999 but it keeps deluding successive administration.
However, he said they are in the state on a sensitization mission in order to receive inputs from the people on the need to review the revenue allocation formula that would be generally acceptable.
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