LG autonomy: RMAFC to increase funding for grassroots development
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
As part of moves to ensure that local governments control their resources, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has said that it would ensure that increased resources translate into tangible development at the grassroots.
Speaking when a delegation of RMAFC Federal Commissioners, led by Honourable Aliyu Abdulkadir, Federal Commissioner representing Nasarawa State and Chairman, State and Local Government Monitoring Committee, paid a courtesy visit to the National President of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Honourable Bello Lawal, at the association’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Abdulkadir who represented the RMAFC Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Shehu, said the newly- constituted committee was established to deepen engagements with the third tier of government and explore practical measures to strengthen local governments.
He stressed that, as a constitutional body, RMAFC is empowered to monitor accruals and disbursements into and from the Federation Account, to which local governments are constitutionally entitled.
Abdulkadir gave the assurance that the commission is ready to ensure that the autonomy of local government, as recently pronounced by the Supreme Court, is given effect to. He also urged local governments to strengthen their internally-generated revenue and reduce over-dependence on allocations from the centre.
In his remarks, Federal Commissioner representing Taraba State and Vice Chairman of the State and Local Government Monitoring Committee, Senator Marafa Abba, said the engagement would generate ideas capable of improving the committee’s work and strengthen collaboration with ALGON, particularly in addressing challenges confronting local governments, including issues surrounding local government elections.
Lawal welcomed the initiative, describing RMAFC’s engagement as timely and critical to the future of grassroots governance.
“When you empower local governments, you empower the whole country because local governments are where people actually live.
“A strengthened local governments constitute the bedrock and foundation for the development of our country” he said, while calling
for greater participation of local governments in revenue-allocation processes and assured the commission of ALGON’s readiness to collaborate on capacity building, fiscal discipline and improved utilisation of public resources.
Other members of the delegation from RMAFC included Honourables Kabeer Usman, Federal Commissioner, Gombe State; Madu Ali Juluri, Federal Commissioner, Yobe State; Rabiu Garba, Federal Commissioner, Zamfara State; and Jacob Mbako, Federal Commissioner representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement, Head, Information and Public Relations Unit of
RMAFC, Maryam Yusuf, said that the engagement reinforces RMAFC’s commitment to strategic partnerships that promote fiscal accountability, effective revenue management, local government autonomy and inclusive development at the grassroots.
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