Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State
has appealed to the Federal Government to consider the burden and challenges faced by state governments in providing infrastructure by equitably distributing funds to states to enable them provide necessary amenities for the people.
He made the appeal on Tuesday, in his address at the opening of a Two-Day Sensitization Programme on the Review of the Existing Revenue Allocation organised by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, Ugwuanyi noted that “The reality today in Nigeria is that state governments are overburdened with lots of responsibilities that need funding. As the tiers of government nearest to the people, the state and local governments bear the main crux of development of the nation.
“Issues of security, healthcare, education, agriculture and food production, social welfare and infrastructural development place enormous burdens on the shoulders of our subnational governments; and this revenue allocation formula review exercise needs to recognize the funding needs of these responsibilities”, the governor said.
He added that the South-East geo-political zone is disadvantaged in terms of infrastructure, hence , the need for equitable distribution of revenue to states.
The governor also appealed to the leadership of RMAFC to expedite action on the process of formally designating Enugu as an oil-bearing state.
He stated that the request for designation of Enugu as an oil-bearing state became imperative because of the volume of crude oil being harvested from its territory.
He described the nationwide sensitisation and consultative engagement as timely and in conformity with changing realities, expressing delight that “RMAFC is laying the good foundations for considering the longstanding agitations of many Nigerians who have been asking for the use of the revenue allocation template to address and fulfill the collective aspirations of Nigerians for real and sustainable development”.
Ugwuanyi commended RMAFC for its gallant and selfless decision in embarking on the exercise of full scale engagement of the representatives of various stakeholders and the people of Nigeria to enthrone a generally acceptable revenue sharing formula that would meet the yearnings and expectations of the nation’s three tiers of government in the overall interest of the citizenry.
“There is no doubt that the revenue allocation formula currently in use does not reflect the realities of the times and cannot be appropriate for Nigeria as well all seek to concretely move towards a proper federating state where the centre and the federating units have constitutionally-assigned spheres, powers and responsibilities.
He also thanked RMAFC for enlightening the state government on the main areas of focus
In his speech, the leader of the team, Chairman, Indices and Disbursement Committee, Chris Akomas, said that the programme was one the Commission’s ongoing nationwide sensitization tour of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the review of the existing Revenue Allocation Formula in the spirit of equity, justice and fairness.
He said that the subsisting revenue allocation formula in Nigeria was last reviewed 29 years ago, pointing out that the need for its review is imperative to ensure equity, fairness and justice.
Enugu State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mrs. Ada Onah Uyanwune, explained that the nationwide sensitization tour of RMAFC on the review of the revenue allocation formula will also ensure equity and fairness in the distribution of the nation’s resources across the 36 states and the FCT.
In attendance were Commissioners, local government chairmen, stakeholders and top management team of RMAFC.
