‘There is basis for governors demand for more revenue’

By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) should follow up the states’ position with President Muhammadu Buhari to review allocation formular, Governor Kayode Fayemi has said.

Fayemi, who said he was at Aso Villa to meet with the President, said the existing sharing template ought to have given way long ago.

“A review of the revenue sharing formula is still the position of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum. We feel that it’s time for the revenue sharing formula to change and we have made a representation to the President and Commander-in-Chief not just under the Buhari’s administration. This has been an ongoing agitation that started way back since the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo, it continued under President Umar Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan.

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“And you also know that there is a process to this. The process is that RMAFC which has the responsibility for this would do its own due diligence, consult widely with critical stakeholders and we have also made available our own representation to RMAFC. Every state has a representative at RMAFC as you know and only last week, RMAFC held a retreat on this and other matters and I believe they will communicate the position.

“Now that we have a full fledged RMAFC in place with a Chairman and other members appointed, it is our expectation that this would be taken up by RMAFC with Mr. President in a manner that we have taken it up”, he said.

On the minimum wage negotiations in the states, Fayemi said no state will pay less than N30,000 but noted that there is no guarantee that the consequential adjustment will be same as what the Federal Government agreed with the Labour, or that all the states will have uniformity.

“Minimum wage is a law. But as I have always said to you, a national minimum wage act is not a general minimum wage review. They are two separate things. Governors are committed to the minimum wage act and no one is going to pay anything less than N30,000. Some of us have started paying N30,000 as you may be aware, others want negotiations on the consequential adjustment to end before they start paying the minimum wage.

The governor, who is a member of the 11-memeber Kano Emirate reconciliation committee, also said that the political crises in Kano and Edo states will be amicably sorted out.