By Ibrahim Bello
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says its ongoing nationwide data verification exercise is aimed at ensuring accurate data for sharing revenue among states and local government areas (LGAs).
Prof. Adekunle Wright, an RMAFC commissioner who led the delegation to Kebbi, stated this at the inauguration of the exercise in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.
Wright described the exercise as a critical national assignment that would strengthen the integrity of the indices used to distribute revenue across the federation.
He said it aligns with the commission’s constitutional mandate under Paragraph 32(b) of Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, which empowers it to continuously review the revenue allocation formula.
According to him, changing socio-economic realities – including population shifts, infrastructure expansion and evolving development needs – make it essential to periodically verify and update the data underpinning revenue allocation.
“It has become necessary to validate the integrity and accuracy of the data that inform revenue distribution across the federation,” he said.
Wright commended the state government for its warm reception and lauded the coordination efforts of commission officials, particularly Kebbi’s Commissioner for Finance, Hajiya Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba.
He recalled that in 2022 the commission conducted a nationwide capacity-building programme to equip state and local government officials with skills in data gathering and management for computing revenue allocation indices.
Since arriving in Kebbi, the RMAFC team had been working closely with ministries, departments, agencies and local government authorities to ensure credible data verification and collection.
Wright stressed that the exercise’s success depends largely on state and local government cooperation, and urged all relevant departments to be fully mobilised and sensitised.
He noted that the outcome would have significant implications for both Kebbi State and the federation, and reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to professionalism, transparency and objectivity.
“Our teams have been carefully selected and trained to carry out this assignment with the highest level of integrity, in line with national and international best practices,” he said.
In his remarks, Kebbi Deputy Governor Sen. Abubakar Umar-Tafida assured the commission of the state government’s full support.
Umar-Tafida said the government was ready to provide all necessary data and logistics for the exercise’s success.
He added that members of the State Executive Council and heads of ministries, departments and agencies were present to understand the exercise’s requirements and offer full cooperation.
The deputy governor stressed that data was central to development planning and governance.
“Data is critical to our quest for sustainable development and improved livelihoods for our people.
“We assure you that Kebbi State will continue to provide the necessary support to ensure the success of this important national assignment,” he said. (NAN)