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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Makarfi rejects new revenue formula
KADUNA State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi at the weekend faulted the new revenue allocation formula recently presented to President Olusegun Obasanjo by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. He described the new formula as unconstitutional.
Makarfi, who received a copy of the new formula from the state's representative on the commission, Alhaji Yakubu Shehu at the weekend, was particularly irked by the panel's recommendation transferring the funding of primary education to states, "even as it (commission) increased states allocation by a mere seven per cent."
He stated: "This is grossly unfair to states because at the time when local government areas were getting 20 per cent, virtually all of which was going into funding of primary education, it made little sense to transfer such funding to another tier of government without a commensurate increase of revenue to it.
"The appropriate thing to do was to have a critical look at all the tiers vis-�-vis their constitutional responsibilities with a view to arriving at a formula that properly takes cognisance of such."
Makarfi said: "I see no reason why the Federal Government should not be made to concentrate on only those areas that are its constitutional concern, like defence, security, internal affairs and energy matter".
According to him, even the provision of infrastructure should be achieved through public and private sector partnership, such that the government would have less to do with their maintenance.
He said that since primary education was not constitutionally the exclusive preserve of the local governments in the first place. "The commission had no powers whatsoever to delve into such a transfer without the constitution being amended," he said.
The governor further said: "Even though it was now late, it was in the interest of the commission to issue a statement owning up to this oversight for the sake of posterity.
He hoped that since the proposal has been sent to the National Assembly, this would avail Nigerians the opportunity to debate the formula and strip it of all illegal and controversial elements.
Earlier, Shehu told Makarfi that he was in Kaduna to present to the state government the proposed formula as submitted to the President by the chairman of the commission.
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