Governors yesterday stormed the Abuja office of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for details of the Federal Government’s revenues, sources and sharing principle.

They met authorities of the commission in a closed-door parley for hours, and rose to query the adjudicatory function of the government in managing all shades of revenues in the commission.

To them, the content of the government’s revenue purse is unclear. The expediency in spending the money in the purse is also hazy, they said.

Led by Kano State Governor Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, the governors are pushing for the commission’s autonomy to make it more efficient and prudent in revenue management.

Shekarau got the nod of the Governors’ Forum to lead four other governors on the fact-finding mission. The four were elected in the April 14 polls.

Dozens of governors who are conversant with the modus operandi of the commission did not return to power in the April polls.

With Shekarau were Mallam Isa Yuguda, Bauchi, Babatunde Fashola, Lagos, Gabriel Suswam, Benue and Celestine Omehia, Rivers.

They were represented on the tour by Shekarau and Yuguda.

Briefing reporters, Shekarau said Fashola, Suswam and Omehia were absent because of engagements elsewhere.

He said the team was satisfied with their findings but had difficulties understanding why the government was acting the umpire in the operations of the commission.

His words: "We are not here to emphasise the revenue formula. Whether or not the formula is changed, there are other things to be tidied up. For example, this so-called excess crude money.

"It is not just the question of excess crude money; it is excess revenue account. There are other monies that accrue into the federation account in addition to oil, and people are not mentioning it.

"So we just want to find out what exactly, what are other monies that accrue into the federation account?

"We want to see that everything is going on in accordance with the provisions of the law that is the constitutional provisions and the revenue sharing formula. So it is not just about changing the formula.

"We are not talking of how much and the size of the money. Whether it is big or small, our concern is how judiciously is it spent?

"We must say we are satisfied with the details. We came here to find out what and what constitute the federation account money. What are the inputs? What are the constitutional provisions as per the role being played by the Ministry of Finance, by the Office of the Accountant General, by the Central Bank of Nigeria, by this commission and by the Presidency.

"This is because this money belongs to all of us. Federal Government should not be acting as umpire of the commission. The commission ought to be independent and totally autonomous in the handling of revenues".

Welcoming the team, Chairman of the Commission, Hamman Tukur said he hoped the visit would open a new chapter in strengthening both bodies in finance management.

Source: The Nation